Good Luck, Good Riddance
by Yuumei Sendo
Summary: Koenma decided that the team needed some "tutoring" and decided to appoint a self-declared hermit to help. She has no skill, little experience, but some knowledge, and Hiei isn't too impressed. But hey, what can you do? Hiei/OC
1. Chapter 1

I found this on my computer and added some clarification. Figured that it wouldn't hurt to post it. I'm aware that this chapter may not present much information (and by the way, Yuumei Sendo is the default name I use for my OC, I just like the name .), but I hope you enjoy it. I'll accept ideas (not much of this is planned out really...)...Thanks for reading ahead of time.

Disclaimer is valid for all chapters: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, I do not know everything about it (not against being corrected).

- YSendo

The rain poured against the windows in thick sheets, creating large, faded shadows on the walls. Hiei sat on the window seat, his arm carelessly resting on his upraised knee. The storm reflected in his crimson eyes as he watched it rage outside. Kurama, Yusuke, Kuwabara, and the girls were all deep in slumber at this time of night. An eerie silence filled the four bedroom apartment, broken only by the thunder outside and the irregular snoring of the human buffoon sleeping nearby. Hiei closed his eyes and rested his head on the cold glass. His warm breath created a haze on the glass that grew with each breath he released. He relaxed a bit. Everyone was asleep. Or so he thought.

Yukina's soft footsteps stopped at the doorway to the kitchen. She watched Hiei carefully. "You should sleep," she said worryingly, walking towards him.

Hiei's eyes shot open and he looked up as the ice maiden came closer. "I'm not tired," he muttered.

Yukina stood in front of him, searching his eyes. "Tomorrow will not be an easy fight, you need to rest."

Hiei shook his head and looked out the window again. "No, you sleep."

Hiei jumped as he felt Yukina's hand on his forehead. It was a gentle touch; she tried not to irritate his sensitive Jagan Eye. She said, "You don't have a fever."

Hiei's eyes softened slightly and he mumbled as she took her hand away, "I'm fine. You should sleep." He motioned with his propped up hand in the general direction of her face. "You look exhausted."

Yukina was about to protest, but she closed her mouth to stifle a yawn. Hiei's lips curled upwards in a smug fashion. Yukina blinked. "I'll go to bed. But promise me you'll get some sleep."

Hiei nodded and watched her leave. He rested his head on the glass again and closed his eyes. He forced himself into a light slumber as the storm reached its peak behind the walls of the building. He had a feeling that he'd need the energy.

* * *

Meanwhile, Koenma drank another coffee as he sat in the modern living room sorting through papers and mumbling curses under his breath. Yuumei laid spread out on the sofa opposite him, her light brown hair hanging over the side. She eyed the three stacks of paper neatly settled on the table warily. Her olive green eyes caught on a picture sticking out of one of the folders and she reached for it saying, "So, you need me to toughen these guys?"

"Yes," replied Koenma briskly as he grabbed another form and scanned the contents. "You are the only one that can probably do this. You have the patience of a saint."

"Only sometimes," mumbled Yuumei distastefully. She looked up at the teenage version of the ruler of Spirit World and silently cursed the gods that she got involved with the arrogant twit. She glanced back at the photo of the spirit detectives. It was taken after the Dark Tournament, according to the writing on the back. She scanned the faces wearily. "I don't feel too confident about this."

"You might not have the skills to fight them, but you have the knowledge to aid them," Koenma said happily.

"Don't you need the skills though?" Yuumei asked carefully. She sensed a catch that was carefully hidden somewhere among these words.

Koenma's shoulders slumped. He said slowly, blushing, "Well, I did appoint a powerful assassin of mine to help train them..."

"And?" asked Yuumei with a raised brow.

"Let's just say, she and Hiei did not mix well."

"Where is she now?"

"Her ashes have been spread according to her wishes."

"Oh." Yuumei sat up and glanced quickly at the clock on the wall. It was two o'clock in the morning.

"Yes, Hiei went a bit overboard," Koenma concluded with a small, shy smile. "That's why we need you."

"And what makes you think I'll get out of this alive?" Yuumei questioned as she put down the photo.

"You and Hiei will get along great!" Koenma replied cheerfully. He yanked a paper and shouted in joy, "Found it! Now, just sign here..."

She wondered whether the freedom from constant Spirit World surveillance was worth the trouble of actually signing a contract with the ruler. She heard of the spirit detectives and some of their accomplishments and temperaments. However, she really had little choice. Yuumei picked up the pen and as she wrote her name on the dotted line, she felt an overwhelming feeling of doom rise over her.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the views and the review **Haku kappa12**, though I'm not sure if it is good or bad, heh.

I decided to lengthen this chapter (a lot) and post it as soon as possible as a treat. I hope it will make everyone like the story a little more. I know it was short. I'm open to criticism and don't be afraid to offer ideas..still planning the plot a little.

Just to clarify, this entire chapter is one event. No time really passes here.

-YSendo

Chapter 2

Koenma didn't waste any time getting her to the apartment occupied by the spirit detectives. In fact, it was so quick that Yuumei had a strange feeling it was prearranged. Talk about freedom of choice. They arrived around noon and, by the smell, right on time for lunch. Koenma walked forward and slammed open the doors in arrogance. "I would like to introduce -"

Botan popped up in front of his face and he jumped back in shock. She yelled at his face while poking his chest, "You little idiot! We were eating! Don't do that! You'll break the door!"

She poked him harder and Koenma fell back onto the concrete. He whimpered as Botan followed him outside. As the grim reaper continued her assault of the ruler, Yuumei stuck her head in the door. "Is she always like this?" she asked the audience gathered around the table. They nodded. Suddenly, Botan turned around with a broad grin on her face. "Hello! I'm Botan. You must be Yuumei!"

Yuumei lost her balance and fell down momentarily. She cautiously stuck out her hand. "Yes, I'm Yuumei."

Botan tackled her into a hug, sending them both reeling into the apartment. Yuumei gasped for breath as Botan jumped to her feet. "I couldn't wait to meet you! Koenma said that you will whip everyone into shape in no time."

"Whips?" Yusuke asked with a grin. Yuumei glared at him. Yusuke laughed. "What?!"

Hiei's voice came from the corner of the table, "Into shape?"

His voice dripped with venom any snake would be proud of. Yuumei sighed and got to her feet. She muttered under her breath, "Don't slip on your own slobber, Creep."

Almost immediately, a face materialized in front of her and Yuumei was mesmerized by crimson eyes. "Repeat that?" Hiei said in soft rage.

Yuumei raised a finger and gently pushed at his chest. "You don't want to kill me. I'm not worth the effort."

"I'll decide that."

Yuumei gulped and stepped back until the wall hit her back. She heard a lot of negative things about the Jagan user, including his infamous short temper. She was no fighter, and even if she was to have survived by way of violence, she still wouldn't be anywhere near his level of expertise.

Hiei followed, intimidating her slightly more than Yuumei felt was comfortable. She laughed nervously as she slid down the wall resulting in having the shorter demon tower over her. "Oh, I'm not of any comparable significance to all the paperwork you are sure to obtain. Furthermore, you'd be chastised by Koenma for slaughtering me because, technically, I'm considered human because of my lasting inhabitation of the Human World."

Hiei blinked and pondered the words for a moment. Yuumei continued, "Therefore, the bloodbath that my demise might generate, and, in fact, will in all probability generate, would be an absolute waste of my pathetic, yet appreciated existence and your valued, if not precious time."

Everyone stared at Yuumei with amused looks. Botan glared at Hiei, who simply returned to his seat with a dismissive 'hn'. She raised her hand slightly, "Yuumei, could you please use easier words, for Kuwabara here?"

The gang cracked up at that. Yuumei looked a little confused and still a bit nervous. Why would they so blatantly insult one of their own? Botan tried to seat her beside Kurama while Koenma slid into a chair next to Keiko. She refused, and settled on occupying the sofa. Everyone returned to their food and conversation all but diminished. Kuwabara blinked. "Hey what's 'chastised' mean?"

Kurama didn't look up from his plate as he said, "It means to be scolded or punished."

"Oh," Kuwabara said blushing as everyone seated at the table burst out laughing. Well, all but Hiei who kept his head down and seemed to want to disappear immediately.

* * *

The four bedroom apartment that the team was staying in was rented as a place where they could recover from missions without being asked awkward questions about their conditions by humans. Kurama, when explaining that no, the place isn't abandoned and "filled with hooligans" as his mother put it, let it slip that Hiei owned it. This excuse stuck, much to Hiei's annoyance. Besides having to dodge calls from Kurama's mother about visiting, he had to occupy the apartment.

Now, Yuumei, a hum- no, she wasn't plain human, Hiei gathered from what she said earlier – is sitting there, probably assessing everyone's relationship to one another. She was no demon either, he sensed. She didn't seem powerful, and even if she was hiding her energy, she was afraid of him. And she was supposed to _teach_ him?

He trained every day, for his entire life, and never had problems when it came time to battle. Now this twit, who couldn't even stand up to him when they were surrounded by his coworkers, was going to tell him what to do? Hiei scoffed.

The last "instructor" was unsuccessful into bribing and even blackmailing him into cooperating. At last, she decided to fight him and win his respect. He decimated her. Utterly.

Now, Koenma wants to try again? _Well_, Hiei thought with a smirk and a glance at the new girl from the corner of his eyes, _good luck_.

* * *

Kurama, on the other hand, was simply curious about the woman sitting in their little haven. She was slightly shorter than Yusuke, her eyes would be in line with his chin, and had mid-back length light brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. It was sort of flat, with hints of a natural wave. Her eyes were an olive green, oddly vivid; they weren't really focused on anything as she stared out the window. Her posture was demure and she seemed to try to take up the least amount of space she could.

What confused him further is that once she was out of direct danger (a.k.a. Hiei), her eyes lost their fear, as though she was otherwise comfortable with the strangers.

Kurama knew that Koenma learned his lesson and wouldn't hire someone based on skill alone. However, he didn't think that someone _without_ skill would do much better. At least she seemed smart enough to back down from Hiei instead of outright challenging him.

He looked everyone, gauging their reactions. Yusuke seemed amused, Kuwabara was defending his love for Yukina (which by now, Hiei learned to ignore), and Botan was throwing Koenma looks, obviously not having too much confidence in his choice. Keiko looked as curious as he was, and Koenma was just eating with a grin on his face. Hiei was sulking, but then Kurama noticed the veiled look and smirk. _Oh dear,_ he gathered, _she's in for it._

* * *

Yuumei was quite content to let the time pass. She was very well aware of the stares she was getting and they made her skin prickle a little. It was hard to just sit still and not think about how hard these next few months are going to be. Then she remembered. The contract didn't specify how long she would need to stay with these males or where.

While she knew that Koenma had something in mind when he announced that she should be introduced to the team immediately, she hasn't gotten a chance to speak with him.

She felt a sudden discomfort stemming from her head. Silently she wondered what it was. It came and went quickly. Was Hiei trying to read her mind? What that what it felt like? She read a little about Jagan Eyes while satisfying her thirst for knowledge, but the facts were very general and vague. No one really has a solid understanding of the damn thing. She was never around psychics and had no idea how to set up a "mind block" or whatever you would call it.

She heard someone clearing their throat and a shuffling of a chair. Relieved to have something more interesting to observe, she turned her head to Koenma.

As he stood we wondered what to say and decided that being frank would probably be best. With a smile to everyone and a warning glare to Hiei, he proceeded. "This is Yuumei Sendo; she will be instructing you on ways to improve your fighting so that we can sleep soundly at night."

He glanced pointedly at Keiko. She looked away ashamed. She often felt frantic about Yusuke's endeavors. "You all will be staying in a small dojo away from everything. That way, you can train without restriction (well, for the most part) and without distraction."

"This apartment will still be open for treating injuries after missions," at this Yuumei glanced around, wondering how this modest place serves as a hospital. "The dojo has 6 bedrooms; one will be a guest room for the girls if they wish to visit. There is a bathhouse out back and two bathrooms."

Everyone glanced at each other, wondering how that will work out. _Great, _Yuumei thought, _at least we won't be in the city._

"Dismissed."

"Koenma sir," Botan chirped.

"Yes?"

"This isn't your office."

He looked flustered, "Yes, yes. Yuumei, come on. We'll get you situated first."

She rose and carefully planned her steps so that her discomfort didn't show. She made the mistake of sweeping her gaze over the faces. She met a pair of crimson eyes and winced at the challenge in them. She flashed a strained smile and fled the room after the young ruler.

* * *

Well, that is done with...please, I yearn for input. :)

-YSendo

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

I was going to make this longer, but I like where it cut off, I'll try to post often . regardless of reviews

-YSendo

Chapter 3

Yuumei found that all the bedrooms were the same: small with a simple twin-sized bed, a dresser, and a window. She chose the closest one from the entrance into the dojo.

The "dojo" itself was more of a large cabin. The kitchen and living area where not separated and on the left of the main door, there was a hallway with four doors on each side. The first three were bedrooms; the last was a bathroom on either side of the hallway. There was, in fact, and outside bathhouse, which housed a large basin in the center of the floor. This ground-level tub sported a massive faucet and drain. There was a rod on the wall opposite the door, presumably for towels.

Koenma told Yuumei that the boys would be moved in by the following week, but most likely, they will come during the weekend, three days away.

Hiei, however, arrived the next day.

* * *

Yuumei was in the kitchen, looking through the stocked cupboards in the kitchen for something to eat when she heard the ruckus. She glanced at the hallway. It couldn't be an intruder of the human variety; the place was too far into the woods for that.

She wouldn't do well against a demon intruder, but she hoped that Koenma somehow warded this area against that type of interruption. She stayed where she was; there was no point in running out to face an unknown danger.

So, Yuumei was torn between fear and relief when Hiei strode out of the hallway and out the door. She followed him outside. Hiei glanced at her and turned back to scanning the area, "Hn."

Yuumei looked at the clearing past the bathhouse, "It's not too bad, I suppose."

"Could be better." This was said very plainly, with no room for argument. Yuumei stayed where she was when Hiei started towards the clearing, unsheathed his sword, and vanished.

She scanned the clearing; her eyes couldn't pick him out except for rare instances when he would change direction. How was she supposed to analyze something she couldn't see? Although she knew she would only be making herself look like an even worse candidate if she asked him to _slow down_. She saw him stop.

Hiei wore that smug expression, with a line of sweat on this face. He was well aware of the fact that she couldn't detect him; he saw her eyes would only sometimes manage to focus on his actual form. He waited for her to respond and watched her migrate to a boulder a decent length from the tree line. She sat down, crossed her legs and got comfortable. Hiei scowled, then smirked. _So, she wants her pride_, he wiped the sweat off with his sleeve and removed his tunic,_ fine._ He met her eyes and tossed the garment aside. Then, he vanished again.

Yuumei still couldn't see him, even after watching him train for half an hour; although, now she could spot him more often. That couldn't be a good sign. _Well, enough of this_. She got up and walked to her new home, well aware of Hiei's eyes on her back as he paused to watch her. She waved over her shoulder. "I'm going to eat, don't mind me."

Her response was met with silence. She grabbed Hiei's tunic as she passed it.

* * *

Once she got inside, Yuumei draped it over a chair next to the table meant for taking meals. Then she started preparing some simple rice. As she sat down to eat, she turned her thoughts to Hiei. She had a feeling he was deliberately making her job hard. It was hard to believe that he actually would train at such high speeds. His endurance must be amazing. However, he is much too confident in his advantages. He has speed, agility, and an amazing stamina (plus, Yuumei was sure he has skill to back up that blade) and would definitely be a challenge to any demon. But what if he was matched against a demon with sharp eyes and quick reflexes? Would he pull some tricks from his –

"What are you?" Yuumei was learning to recognize that tone. Brisk, to the point, final. Hiei had a way of saying what he needed in as few words as possible in a way that allowed no room for mishearing.

"A human," she replied with a smug smile of her own to meet his frown as he stood on the opposite side of the table.

"I can sense that," he spat out, narrowing his eyes. "What you said, you are not normal."

"No," she conceded, "my lifespan is longer than an average human's. I don't know why." She gathered her dishes and moved to the sink, Hiei following until he stood beside her, watching her hands.

"Why you?" He managed to make it sound condescending. Yuumei turned off the water and turned to him, "Honestly, I don't know. I don't see how _I'm_ supposed to help any of you," she watched his back as he turned away to retreat down the hallway. She mumbled after him, "Koenma bribed me into this."

Hiei paused with his hand on the knob of the door to his chosen room. He didn't turn, didn't even glance. He didn't say anything. He waited, that was enough. Yuumei smiled slightly to his back, her eyes not really watching him anymore, "With freedom." Hiei glanced at her from the very corner of his eyes and she smiled for him, "Of a sort anyway."

He went into his room and quietly shut the door. She was sure she saw his eyes flash to her again as it closed. Yuumei's smile faded wistfully as she entered her own bedroom. Then, she laughed. Hiei chose the one next to hers!


	4. Chapter 4

Well, sorry for a few days of nothing. I didn't really get a chance to sit down at a computer for more than 5 minutes. Thanks for all the reviews and all, hope you enjoy it; I'm starting to actually develop something now, hehe

- YSendo

Chapter 4

The next day, Hiei rose early to continue his training. He left his room through the window and stood for a moment in his muscle shirt and pants to enjoy the morning breeze. Instinctively, he knew that today was going to be a warm day and didn't bother collecting his tunic from the dining area.

He checked to ensure he had his sword and paced determinately to the center of the clearing and began his regular routine. It was several hours later than Yuumei awoke.

* * *

Yuumei was awoken by that odd prickling in her skull. It passed as soon as she noticed it. Assuming it was Hiei's mind-reading, she got up and visited the small bathroom, which housed a sink, shower, and toilet. Then, she settled for a bowl of cereal for breakfast.

She had yet to confront Hiei about whether or not he was invading her mind. Really, she wasn't too disturbed; she had no secret thoughts about any of the spirit detectives that would be of any interest to the demon. Somehow, she knew that he wouldn't invade her own, personal thoughts without a good reason (as though scanning her mind was not invasion).

Yuumei focused on her "job." She was supposed to help train the spirit detectives to better themselves in their own weaknesses. So far, even with her watching Hiei intently, she has found nothing. It didn't make it any easier considering she could barely see the bastard! The other teammates are supposed to arrive tomorrow, and then, she will have to focus on all four. She decided that she needed to gain some progress with the elusive Hiei. She cleaned up after her meal and wandered outside, confident that there really wasn't much for him to do beyond training.

* * *

Hiei sensed her the moment she stepped outside. Like yesterday, she perched herself on that boulder, this time with her knees to her chest. He didn't pause in his mock battle with an imaginary foe, though, covertly, he watched her. Again, her eyes shot around wildly, catching only glimpses of him. Hiei smirked and sped up. _See if that woman can find anything wrong now, _he thought.

After watching him, or trying, for at least an hour and a half, the woman seemed to have lost interest in his antics and closed her eyes. Slowly, she stretched back to lie on the boulder, but she kept her eyes closed. This action made Hiei pause and simply stand and watch. Not stare, not glare, just watch.

She had high cheekbones and a defined jaw line, one that made her look strong-willed, yet frail. Her nose and lips matched her face, making her look very much natural. Also, she sported a light tan. She stood several inches taller than him, but walked with a slight slouch, making her seem more Keiko's height. She had some curves, but nothing pronounced (it mainly showed in the way she would walk).

For the past few days, she has been dressing in simple, undecorated t-shirts, jogging pants, and running shoes. She wore no jewelry.

Hiei narrowed his eyes; she was not equipped to teach him and his _associates_ anything. He stalked toward her silently.

* * *

Yuumei was just enjoying the sun and resting her eyes when she began to feel uneasy. She knew Hiei was probably watching her, but this feeling seemed more than that. She opened her eyes to slits, only to find his face hovering over hers. "_Girl_," he ground out as he stood straight again, "You should not be so relaxed." – _especially around me._ The words were unsaid, but understood.

"You wouldn't kill me-" she started.

Next thing she knew, Hiei leaned forward slightly, bracing one hand on the boulder, the other securely holding his sword to her throat. She could feel the absolute stillness in that blade. It seemed as though it was a part of his arm. _Well, at least he is skilled with a blade_, she registered before glancing up at him. _Big mistake._ She could feel the fear she held towards the demon resurface as she fell into his eyes and he murmured, more to himself yet still arrogant, "What makes _you_ think I wouldn't?"

With that, and a satisfied smirk, he backed off, sheathed his sword, and returned to the center of the clearing. There, he sat down cross-legged with his back to her and meditated.

Yuumei, meanwhile, sat back up, now fully awake and at attention. Her shoulders drooped slightly as the fear ebbed away. She settled on watching him.

She couldn't understand her fear of him; it would appear only when she was directly threatened by him, then, it would slide away as soon as she was out of danger. Really, she held a lot of admiration toward this demon, even though she only knew what little Koenma provided in the slim file on all the detectives. Yuumei was well aware that the files contained only a very limited amount of information on each member. She knew of their basic personality and their moves. Also, she watched recordings from the Dark Tournament to see what the moves looked like.

Hiei, she knew, was a strictly loyal demon, although he followed his own agenda. She could see that he was powerful and intelligent. The file stated that he was a sort of loner, and had a fondness for the outdoors.

Now she could see that beyond being handsome, he seemed to ooze confidence and power. This was no weak-willed young boy; he was a man who won out in a "be or be killed" world by pure determination and skill.

The strength was most prominent in his eyes. They were all at once cold steel and burning fortitude. It was those stunning crimson eyes that she would catch glimpses of, watching her, calculating.

But now they were turned away from her, and she didn't feel their weight on her. Hiei, even now, seemed unnaturally alive. Every muscle seemed coiled and ready to strike. It unnerved her; she couldn't imagine the kind of existence where you must always be ready for attack.

* * *

A shadow fell over her, and she snapped out of her appraisal of Hiei's back. She glanced over her shoulder and her eyes widened at the demon which towered behind her.

"Gah-!" she managed to cry out as the _thing_ took a swing to knock her off her rock, which she successfully dodged by stumbling out of the way.

Hiei turned his head to investigate the noise and jumped to his feet at the threat, his sword out and ready. The hostile demon charges a small ball of energy which he aims at Yuumei, who ducks to the left.

As the demon turned, Hiei saw an opportunity and took it, successfully slicing open the demon's side. However, now Hiei had the intruder's full attention. Yuumei stood back, filled with adrenaline.

The demon stood a good eight feet tall and was hunched over. He was massive and a thick exoskeleton covered his back, arms, and legs. Oddly enough, the protective covering on his arms was much wider than the arm itself. His head was ducked down past his shoulders. His chest and abdomen, on the other hand, were bare of the natural armor. As soon as he recognized Hiei as a powerful foe, however, he positioned his cumbersome arms in front of him, fitting the large, unsightly masses of armor on his arms into one large shield.

Hiei took a chance and attacked the demon in this defensive position. Quickly, he stopped his assault as he felt his sword almost crack against the shield. Not a scratch on the intruder. _Figures,_ he scoffed. He stood back, waiting. He could not reach the demon by going through the shell, but the creature had to unfold sometime.

In fact, it did unfold, but the demon quickly charged a much larger sphere of energy that it shot at Hiei. Even though it passed Yuumei by a good few feet, she could feel an extreme heat follow it. Seems the balls of white energy were white hot, to boot!

Hiei vanished and swiped at the demon, but his attack was thwarted. The beast didn't require much movement to reseal itself away.

Hiei rethought his options and stood, sword down, right in front of the demon. The demon took his chance to hit Hiei again, but this time, Hiei didn't dodge.

"Hiei!" Yuumei was blinded by the light as Hiei stuck the ball of energy with his left forearm. He managed to knock the sphere to the side and quickly, before the demon could recover from the shock, raised his sword and sliced the beast's chest deeply. The demon collapsed.

Yuumei blinked a few times to focus her vision. What she saw first was the massive corpse at Hiei's feet. Then, she noticed the nasty-looking burn on Hiei's hand. Even though he was a fire demon, he can be hurt by energy. Cautiously, she approached.

* * *

Hiei stood with his head down, his bangs covering his eyes. His right hand was clenched around his sword and Yuumei could see the tightness in his jaw. She grasped his left elbow, well above the injury. His head shot up and there was a glare well in place. _At least he doesn't seem too hurt_, she thought with an encouraging smile. "Come on, let's get this treated."

"I don't need your help," he stubbornly stated.

"You jumped to my rescue. I owe you." She pulled; this time, he conceded.

"Of course you do," he claimed very precisely. "_Girl._"

Yuumei raised her head to the sky as she led him to the house. Thank god the others were coming in tomorrow.

* * *

Let me know what you think :) -YSendo


	5. Chapter 5

Well, I finished this before I wanted to, but it's still in a good spot. I hope to update soon.

-YSendo

Chapter 5

Yuumei sat Hiei down as she went to look for the first aid kit. When she returned, he was examining his hand, clenching and unclenching his fist.

"You were reckless," she stated as she picked through some bottles and tubes to find something useful. Her statement was met with a glare. After a pause, Hiei replied, "Reckless?"

Yuumei read a label and opened the bottle. A vile smell rose from it. "Yes," she answered with a scowl at the paste. She started to apply it to his wrist with a mumbled 'hold still.'

As Yuumei grabbed the bandages, she asked, "How could you put yourself at risk?"

_I was protecting you._ But Hiei didn't reply; he just stared at her.

"I'm sure," she continued, "you could have figured something out. I can take a hit."

Hiei scoffed and looked at his arm, "I doubt that."

Yuumei just glared.

"This is only a slight injury," he began. Yuumei interrupted, "This is a third degree burn!"

"- and that demon would have just been a waste of time and energy. He was weak"

_You were weak._ It was implied. Yuumei glanced away, fastened the bandage, and rose to put the kit away. By the time she returned, Hiei retreated to the window still, right leg propped up and the other curled underneath. His right arm was draped over his knee; the other, recently treated one was tucked into his lap. He didn't look at her.

Yuumei settled for the couch, facing away from him. She saw his right arm with its bandage covering from hand to elbow. She knew he is perfectly capable of treating his own wounds. What she didn't understand, is why he would humor her and allow _her_ to treat him. Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of a phone. She went to pick it up, Hiei's eyes following her reflection in the glass.

"Hello?" Yuumei was confused, who would know this number.

"_Hello, this is Kurama."_

Hiei watched as Yuumei let her confusion show in the tilt of her head, the narrowing of her eyes, and the curve of her mouth. "What do you need?" she spoke into the phone.

_"I just thought it would be a good idea to warn you of the plan tomorrow. How are you, by the way?" _ Seems he was worried about Hiei's attitude.

"I'm," she paused and looked at Hiei, not catching his eyes flickering away from her image, "good. Nothing really is going on." She decided not to worry him.

_"Well, I suppose that is good. Yusuke, Kuwabara, and I will move into tomorrow morning. Expect us around ten."_

"Ah, thank you," She paused. "Kurama? Did Koenma say anything about setting up wards here?"

_"No, he didn't believe the demons would be a problem. Would you like me to talk to him?"_

"I…I thought I heard things outside at night. Might be a good idea to get some wards in." Hiei turned his head towards Yuumei's back. _What the…_he wondered.

_"All right. I suppose that is all. Oh, before I forget, the girls want to come by with us and visit; they will not be staying long though."_

"Okay," Yuumei hung up on him. The conversation was obviously finished. She turned and looked back at Hiei, who again looked away.

"Everyone is coming tomorrow."

"I heard," he mumbled.

"So," Yuumei started, "you need anything?"

"Not from you." As he said this he looked back at her, a small smirk on his face.

She nodded stiffly and went into her bedroom.

* * *

The next morning, Hiei went out to train as usual. Yuumei decided to tidy up for the detectives. She did any dishes that were left over, and opened some windows to air out the place. She was dusting when she saw Hiei's tunic still draped innocently over a chair. She gathered it up and looked it over. The fabric was heavier than it looked. The garment itself was made to withstand the harsh Demon World conditions.

Yuumei opened Hiei's room and, without glancing inside, tossed the tunic on the bed. When she closed the door, she saw a large group of people file into the living room.

Kurama saw her and introduced everyone, including the girls. Yuumei knew nothing about anyone other than the four detectives. She met Yukina, Shizuru, Keiko, and Botan. Yusuke presented her with three bags of small white boxes. Kurama explained, "We didn't know what food was here or not, so we just got a lot of Chinese."

Yuumei glanced at the amount of boxes and asked with an odd expression, "Did you get one of everything?"

Yusuke gave her a thumbs-up, "Yup!"

Hiei hopped in through a window once he saw the commotion.

* * *

Let me know what you think. Sorry for the length -YSendo

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

Was able to post again today. Yay me!

- YSendo

Chapter 6

Yuumei took the bags into the kitchen to set out the food. When she returned, she stood back, watching everyone interact.

Yukina was greeting Hiei when her gaze fell to his left hand. She noticed the new bandage and immediately got worried. She reached for his hand and examined the wrapping. "What happened, Hiei?"

Hiei looked at her for a moment before answering with a noncommittal, "Demon."

"Would you like me to heal it?" she asked modestly. "I've gotten better."

"No!" Hiei breathed out quickly, then at her confused look, he lied, "It's only a scratch; nothing to worry about."

Yukina gently released his hand. "Then why is it wrapped up so tightly?"

Hiei looked away from her red eyes, uncomfortable with lying to her face. "The girl thought it should be treated."

Yukina blinked. "Oh, you mean Yuumei. I'm sure she meant well."

"She's an annoyance," Hiei growled, then excused himself politely and migrated over to Kurama.

Yukina looked after him and sighed; then, she turned with a smile as Keiko came up asking about how the ice maiden liked the place.

Botan was scolding Yusuke and Kuwabara for their joyous reaction to learning that Koenma arranged for his detectives to have the next week off from education.

"Lord Koenma did it because he thought Yuumei might need more than two days to analyze you guys," Botan huffed. "This isn't a vacation!"

Yusuke just laughed. "Any training is a vacation compared to grandma's conditioning."

"Yeah, how bad can it be?" Kuwabara threw in as he let out another 'woohoo!'

A deep, scathing voice cut into his revelry, "Now what can it be that is making a buffoon like you degrade yourself even further."

Yusuke turned and grinned at Kurama and Hiei. To Kurama, he said calmly, "No school next week. We are officially on an 'educational field trip.'" Then he looked down at Hiei, "So, how's it going?"

"Yeah, how is the training going?" Kuwabara couldn't resist saying, "You whipped into servitude yet?"

"Oh yes," Hiei stated sarcastically, "the thought of that demon of a woman supervising and criticizing me while I am performing at my very best makes me quiver in my boots."

Kuwabara didn't seem to catch the sarcasm, not that Hiei really expected him to. The human started throwing worried glances at the innocent girl watching from across the room. "Really? That bad?"

"Idiot."

Yusuke laughed outright, "Come on, Kuwabara; let's go refill your ego with some Chinese."

They walked off to the kitchen area, Botan following to make sure they don't eat everything. Kurama turned to Hiei. "Now, what happened these past few days?" His gaze fell pointedly to Hiei's injured arm.

"Hn." Hiei turned to the window and watched the sun play on the grass and trees. Kurama waited patiently. "This," Hiei raised his hand, "was from a demon attack there in the clearing."

"The reason Miss Yuumei asked about the ward, I presume."

"Yes," Hiei growled.

Kurama waited, it seemed something was troubling his friend.

"She can't do this!" Hiei suddenly spit out. "She can't even see me when I train."

"Somehow, I'm sure that these past two days you didn't train the way you usually do."

Hiei fell silent and glared. He won't deny it, not to Kurama.

"And then she calls me _reckless_."

"Hiei," Kurama covered his mouth with his hand to muffle the giggle, "you are my friend, but yes," Hiei glared at him. "You are very reckless. And very stubborn."

With an offended 'hn,' Hiei waved his injured hand in a dismissive manner at Kurama. Kurama suddenly got serious and caught Hiei's hand. Hiei swallowed a small yelp, he wasn't expecting that. "This," Kurama tightened his hand, knowing he was only securing Hiei's attention, "would not have happened had you waited, right?"

"I…" Hiei pulled at his hand, "I don't have to explain myself to you. Now unhand me!" His voice was rising dangerously. Kurama let go. He didn't want to cause a scene.

Kurama glanced across the room, satisfied that no one was paying attention to them, but then he noticed Yuumei's eyes watching him intently. She was human and couldn't have caught the entirety of the conversation from where she stood, but obviously she was angered at the way Kurama was handling his short friend. Kurama gave her what he hoped was an encouraging smile and waved her over with his hand. Hiei glanced over his shoulder a little (his back was to her the majority of the conversation) to see who caught the fox's attention. He turned back to Kurama and scowled as Yuumei came to stand beside them.

"Hello," Yuumei nodded at Kurama's greeting, "I'm sorry for whatever trouble Hiei must have caused. You must forgive him."

Hiei looked away and tightened his jaw. He had nothing to say to either the woman or the man standing in front of him.

Kurama continued with a mischievous glint in his eye, "Hiei here is a pathetic case. He is weak and in denial; I'm sure you found him quite lacking and have a lot of work to do. I apologize for your incredibly bad luck."

Hiei was stunned and wide-eyed, then came the anger. _How dare he-!_

But Yuumei interrupted with a inspiringly sincere tone, "You and I both know that you are lying to provoke me. Hiei is a powerful and formidable foe for anyone. He isn't reacting well to my presence, but his surviving within the Demon World must revolt against my lack of experience. No, I can't keep track of him, but I don't think that the majority of my work will be with him, or you for that matter. Now, if you will excuse me."

Hiei and Kurama looked after her in shock: Hiei, for her sudden jump to his defense; Kurama, for the appraisal and insight Yuumei possessed.

* * *

After some more small talk where Yuumei was informed of Yukina's search for her brother, Keiko's denial about Yusuke, Kuwabara's love for felines, and Botan's penchant for shopping and color, everyone settled down to eat.

Hiei was perched on the windowsill, Yuumei and Shizuru on the couch, and everyone else at the table (it seated six). Yusuke and Kuwabara were stuffing their faces, each having about five boxes in front of them. Yukina, Botan, and Keiko were talking adamantly, eating barely at all. Kurama listened and laughed along. Hiei was attacking his food slowly, but each bite was aggressive. He was still angry with Kurama for insulting him, even though he knew it was all a lie. Shizuru put her food down and watched Yuumei, while holding the unlit cigarette in her mouth.

Yuumei was eating very little of the spiced Chinese delicacies, instead munching contently on the plain white rice. She enjoyed bland flavors, a liking she learned by distancing herself from society and having little patience or skill when it came to cooking. Before all this, Yuumei had a small studio apartment on the very edge of town that she furnished with simple, contemporary items. She would rarely leave the place, opting to read and study in solitude.

* * *

That was how she got involved with Spirit World, and put under surveillance. Because of her lifespan, she didn't have to worry about hurrying though life to accomplish anything. At age 18, she looked much too young, but her parents supposed that it was a developmental disorder. She was still intelligent and could function just fine, so when she reached 'adulthood' her parents got her an official identification card and allowed her to move out. She carefully weaned them off of her presence, making them not worry and live out the remainder of their lives without her.

Not many places would employ her due to her young looks; she looked as though she was twelve with her height and flat chest at the time. So, she settled for a part-time job at a toy store and sharing a very cheap apartment with a determined college girl. There, she found her thirst for knowledge. Her roommate would bring her many books from the college library. Yuumei had lots of downtime since she was trying to avoid seeing her friends from high school (she was teased enough as it was) so she spent hours reading.

She always accepted her slower development as a simple fact of life. It was once she came across demonology books that she found out what that lack of development meant.

She weeded through dozens of books on demonic and mythological creatures, simply as a challenge to find the 'real' theory. She started to come too close to the truth and happened to discuss her theory of the three worlds to a friend of her roommates. This friend happened to be an employee of the Spirit Realm and so Yuumei was brought to the attention of Lord Koenma.

Koenma visited her and after a good amount of debating they came up with their initial contract. She would retain her memories and knowledge, and be granted access to the Spirit Realm records, and Koenma can keep her under 24 hour surveillance. Until a week ago, she didn't understand why Koenma agreed. But now she knew. She was the database of knowledge about basic demon breeds, energy variations, and mutations. But above all, she was in debt to Koenma.

* * *

Yuumei fell that mental discomfort again and zoned back in. She blinked a little to remember what was going on. "Oh…"

Kurama took all the boxes together and threw them away. Botan jumped up and stuck her hands on her hips. "You! Yuumei! Is that the best you have to wear?"

Yuumei glanced down at her beige t-shirt and black slacks. "No, but I like this."

Botan cheered up and clapped her hands, "I've got to take you shopping!"

"No."

"Aw…" Botan pouted, giving the puppy-eyed look.

"No." Yuumei repeated, borrowing Hiei's tone. "I don't need to impress anyone; I'm just watching these guys fight and telling them what they're doing wrong. I have no need for clothes."

Botan looked as though she wanted to argue, but Keiko grabbed her arm and the girls said their good-byes. Meanwhile, the four boys and Yuumei stood around. Yusuke sighed, "Well, party's over. Let's pick our rooms."

Kuwabara followed him down the hall while Yuumei went to stand close to Kurama. "Mine's first on the right, Hiei's is next to it," she whispered to him.

Kurama nodded and smiled at her. Then they got jerked aside as Hiei strode _through_ them. "Hn."

Hiei entered his room while Yuumei looked befuddled and Kurama looked suspicious. _What got into him…_, he asked himself. Yuumei went to her room and left the door open, in case the guys need anything.

Realizing how fatal it may be if Kuwabara ended up next to Hiei, Kurama quickly and efficiently took charge of the plans.

The floor plan ended up with Yusuke staying next to Hiei, Kuwabara across from Yusuke, Kurama across from Hiei, and the guest bedroom across from Yuumei.

Everyone settled into their rooms. Hiei got off the windowsill in his room and walked to his bed. There he saw his tunic and he picked it up and fingered the cloth thoughtfully. He set the garment aside and wandered out to get a quick glass of water (and scan the area for demons).

As he passed Yuumei's room, he noticed the door was still open, but her breathing was slow and peaceful. He wandered in to find her curled up in her clothes on the bed, the covers folded up on the corner of the bed.

Hiei knew the nights were cold and unfolded the blanket and draped it over her. He closed the door on his way out. _No point in putting up with a sick girl,_ he decided as he got to bed.

* * *

Let me know what you think :) YSendo


	7. Chapter 7

Another chapter. Going to try and write more tonight.

-YSendo

Chapter 7

Hiei woke up early and instead of going out to train he perched himself on the windowsill in his room. He didn't leave his room until he heard his teams voices in the hallway.

All four detectives emerged as a group, chatting and laughing for the most part. They hushed as they noticed Yuumei at the table, a mug of coffee in front of her.

She looked different today. Her hair was down and damp, clinging to her clothes slightly. She wore a short-sleeved, white polo that hugged her body with a simple pair of beige shorts that reached above her knees. She still wore her running shoes.

While the team stood there awkwardly (they weren't expecting her to be up), Hiei moved past them and grabbed an apple before heading outside, not even acknowledging the woman. She didn't seem to mind as she raised a brow at the team's stillness and motioned her hand to the coffeemaker.

Kurama smiled at her and moved to the coffee pot, snapping Yusuke and Kuwabara out of their stupor. The pair ravaged the cupboard for some food, settling for some leftover Chinese and cereal. Kurama offered to make Yuumei something, but she refused with a smile, saying that coffee tends to quiet her appetite.

After a half hour, once Kuwabara appeared done, Yuumei stood and refilled her mug. "We should follow Hiei's example and head out. With any luck, I can see you fight and get the initial advising out of the way early." With that, she walked outside.

The guys simply stuck their dishes in the sink and followed after her. She was walking slowly while blowing on her mug to cool down the drink. She stopped at the clearing. The guys caught up and looked expectantly at her as Hiei stopped flitting about and walked over.

* * *

"Let's start with Yusuke and Kuwabara," Yuumei stated around a drink of coffee. "Go skirmish."

Yusuke and Kuwabara gave each other a thumbs up and took opposite sides of the clearing. Hiei, Kurama, and Yuumei backed away to be in the shade of the trees. Hiei leaned back against a pine tree on Kurama's left while Yuumei stood at Kurama's right.

Yusuke brought up his hands in a familiar fashion while Kuwabara summoned his spirit sword. Yusuke fired and his opponent smacked it as though he were playing baseball, then charged, holding his weapon high above his head.

However, Yusuke was faster and he punched Kuwabara hard in the gut, making him reel back and hunch over. Yusuke crossed his arms and grinned at Kuwabara while he waited for him to recover. Once Kuwabara gained his bearings, he charged Yusuke again, this time with his weapon at his side.

Yusuke uncrossed his arms and sidestepped Kuwabara, who ran past, unable to stop on a dime. Immediately, Yusuke sent a small spirit gun blast after him which hurled his friend smack into a tree.

"Idiot," Hiei scoffed under his breath.

Kurama let out a chuckle. "Well, yes, he doesn't seem too graceful, does he?"

Yuumei frowned and walked up to the fallen teammate, followed by Kurama and Hiei, and a lagging Yusuke.

"Seems you need quite a bit of help," she said as she approached.

Kuwabara turned his head to her, rubbing his jaw, but remained sprawled on the ground. "I don't need any help. Urameshi just got lucky."

"Alright," Yuumei nodded, "then you can go against Hiei next."

"What?! That shrimp is going to try to kill me!"

Hiei smirked smugly, infuriating the beaten human. Yuumei smiled, "I thought you said you didn't need help."

Kuwabara said nothing, opting to glare and scowl at the short demon.

Yuumei turned to Yusuke, who was laughing like a maniac. "And you. You should have finished him off while you had the chance."

"Well now, that's no fun."

"This is all a game to you," Yuumei deadpanned, "isn't it? No wonder Keiko is so afraid for you."

Yusuke stopped laughing and rounded on the girl. "Hey! Don't bring her into this. She has nothing to do with this."

"Of course not," Yuumei barked. "It's only your arrogance that fuels you. But that doesn't change the fact that you worry her to death."

"Why you-!" Yusuke shoved his finger to her collarbone aggressively, "You don't understand anything we've been through."

"Fighting demons isn't a sport." Yuumei tried to hold her balance, but he was physically stronger. And damn, those shoves hurt.

Yusuke stabbed his finger at her again, but this time he knocked her down. A look of fear flashed through her eyes. Kurama stepped forward but it was Hiei's voice that cut through the tension. "Detective, you fight Kurama. He's the last one."

Kurama put a hand on Yusuke's shoulder and whispered something to the man. Yusuke shrugged and stepped away, back to the center of the clearing.

Yuumei closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, a hand was offered to her. She looked up and met the crimson eyes that narrowed at her hesitation. His hand appeared as an invitation to a truce. She smiled widely and grasped it. Hiei pulled her up without a problem and quickly released her. He looked away with a 'hn.'

Yuumei looked back at the clearing to see Kurama waiting for the signal to begin. Yusuke stood with his back to her. Kuwabara was sitting cross-legged by the tree he was slammed into. She glanced around and saw Hiei perched on a branch along the trees behind Kurama.

Yuumei nodded at Kurama.

* * *

I'll attempt to post the next fight and the evening soon. Input appreciated -YSendo


	8. Chapter 8

Took a while to get this out :) Hope you enjy it

-YSendo

Chapter 8

Kurama nodded to Yusuke and the fight began. Yusuke, without hesitation, readied his spirit gun and fired. It was apparent that he didn't aim as Hiei had to jump out of the way of the blast with an outraged, "Watch where you point that thing!"

Yusuke took a deep breath and focused. He sent smaller blasts at Kurama, who dodged them all gracefully. Taking advantage of the fact that his enemy is in the air, Yusuke jumped up and charged his fist with energy. Kurama was able to catch his wrist, but was still thrown back from the force. He landed on his feet and reached into his hair.

Yusuke flipped back and out of the range of the deadly rose whip that Kurama conjured. They stood at a standstill.

Meanwhile, Yuumei watched from the sidelines and narrowed her eyes. She noticed her mug on the ground and sighed. _What a waste of good coffee_, she decided. She rubbed her chest carefully. She told herself to never talk of Keiko like that again, thought she couldn't understand why Yusuke was so adamant in his denial of a plainly seen fact.

It was not hard to see that Keiko was very much worried about his safety.

She turned back to the match. Yusuke managed to only obtain a shallow gash on his forearm; Kurama stood untouched. He retraced his whip into a simple rose and stashed it back into his hair. Then, Kurama dropped his arms to his side and closed his eyes. Yusuke took a step back and looked around wildly. There was a deep rumble.

Four long vines stabbed out of the ground, making Kuwabara edge back towards his tree and Yuumei catch her balance with a mumbled 'whoa.'

The vines dove for Yusuke with a mind of their own as Kurama simply jumped for the boy. Yusuke tried shooting them down, but they only were about the thickness of a broom handle, and they simply curved out of the way. Kurama was able to catch Yusuke's wrist, throwing the teen off-balance and result in the vines catching hold and engulfing the detective in a cocoon.

Yuumei blinked up at the writhing mass which was yelling out curses and threats to be let go. Kurama let go of the wrist that stuck out and said quietly, "She was baiting you, Yusuke."

The cocoon stilled and then blasted apart as Yusuke became surrounded by energy. Kurama took a defensive position, but Yusuke wasn't looking at him. He was just standing there, his eyes unfocused as though he was thinking to himself. "You're right. I shouldn't let her get to me." Yusuke looked at Yuumei and calmed his energy.

"So," he started with a grin, "What do you think?"

Yuumei was examining the vines, nudging one with her foot. "You manipulate plants?"

"Yes," Kurama admitted.

Yuumei looked up and smiled, "Seems you'd be weak to fire."

"Perhaps," he murmured with a mischievous smile.

They heard a distant cry. Everyone turned towards the noise and saw Botan waving energetically, with a shorter, blue-haired girl with her, Yukina. Kuwabara jumped up. "Ah, my Yukina came to se me! Here I am, my Love!"

Yuumei discreetly wrap the vine around her foot and pulled it tight as the human attempted to rush after his love. He tripped and flew forward a few feet. "Be on guard," she warned.

Hiei dropped down to the ground and started towards the girls, followed by Yusuke and Kurama. He deliberately stepped _on _Kuwabara while passing him. Kuwabara grunted and yelled, "Hey, Shrimp! Get offa me-!"

Hiei stepped on his head, forcing Kuwabara's mouth in the dirt. "Hn. I thought I heard something," Hiei muttered. Yuske burst out laughing and slapped Hiei on the back, while Kurama and Yuumei chuckled and smiled.

* * *

Sorry for the length. Reviews welcome :) -YSendo


	9. Chapter 9

Hello, everyone. Picking up where we left off.

-YSendo

Chapter 9

Botan raised one arm and with the other pointed at her wrist watch as the group approached. "Noon," she said, "lunchtime."

"What are you doing here, though?" Yusuke asked. As she glared, he waved his hands defensively, "Not that I mind or anything."

"Well, I decided to see how you guys were doing and since Yukina is alone most of the time, I brought her along."

Yuumei looked at her empty mug and said, "Yeah, lunch sounds good right about now."

Yukina smiled at her, "I'll make us sandwiches."

* * *

Once in the house, everyone got comfortable. Yukina took over the kitchen while Yuumei brought out some drinks. She left the tray on the table, grabbed a glass, and mumbled something about taking a bath.

Botan sat facing the boys, "So, what happened?"

"She's cruel," said Kuwabara. Yusuke hit him over the head. "Well, maybe if your sorry ass could fight, she wouldn't be."

Botan put a finger to her chin, "She doesn't strike me as cruel."

Yukina came in with a large plate filled with sandwiches consisting of various meats and cheeses. "She's really nice to me," she said with a smile.

"Everyone is nice to you," Botan mumbled while pouting and glaring at Hiei. Hiei glared back with a simple 'hn.'

Kurama sighed. "She's…honest," he said with a pause.

"Brutally," Kuwabara ground out with a frown.

Hiei butted in with a deadpanned voice, "You just can't handle the truth."

Kuwabara jumped out of his seat, nearly crushing the sandwich in his hand. Kurama glanced at Hiei through veiled eyes, "If I remember correctly, you had a somewhat," he closed his eyes, "_passionate_ reaction yourself."

Hiei choked on a piece of bread and coughed to clear out his airway. "P…_Passionate_?!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I meant to say violent, fierce." Kurama flashed him an innocent smile.

Yusuke, however, had a lecherous grin. "Ah, is there something we should know about? Had some _personal_ training, Hiei?"

"Yeah," Kuwabara joined in, never one to turn down a jab at the short demon, "you've been here a few extra days…I wonder…"

"Don't tease Hiei, Kazuma," Yukina said sincerely. Kuwabara looked at her and slumped back into his seat. Hiei wore a triumphant smirk.

"Yes, especially since he will end up fighting you as many times as I deem necessary." They all looked at the door, where Yuumei was leaning her hip against the doorframe, her arms crossed, a frown on her face, and her hair glistening with moisture.

Botan laughed nervously, "Uh, how long have you been here?" Yuumei simply looked at her. Kurama chucked into his hand and said, "You two," referring to Hiei and Yuumei, "seem to understand each other well."

"I was training the entire time!" Hiei barked at him, while Yuumei said seriously, "You _are_ kidding, right?"

Kurama nodded as everyone shared a little laugh at the pair's expense. Yuumei looked over everyone with a smile. _They act so carefree sometimes._ She hated to cut into their fun, but progress had to be made. "Kuwabara," she asked, "could you meet me outside tomorrow? I'll help you as much as I can on my own."

"Yeah," Kuwabara said scowling at Yusuke who was calling him a wimp, "sure."

Yuumei saw the split in the team. On one hand, she had Kurama and Kuwabara, one who is willing to accept help, the other who begrudgingly acknowledges that he needs it. On the other hand, she has Yusuke and Hiei, the former denies needing help while avoiding guilt, and the latter is simply stubborn and doesn't hold enough respect for her to listen.

She rubbed the bridge of her nose to ease her dismay over this situation. "Listen, all of you. Just take to heart my advice. I don't want to end up responsible for your deaths."

The boys spat out denials in a heap:

"How would my death have anything to do with you." Hiei.

"Hey, I died before." Yusuke.

"Wha-?!" Kuwabara.

Yukina looked over at everyone, and then at Yuumei, who let the dismay seep into her face. There was a sad quality to her entire body now, as though she knew something they didn't. As though she understood, that somehow, these flaws she pointed out (whatever they were) would lead to their downfall; and that, in fact, she _would_ be blamed.

Yukina spoke meekly, but immediately caught everyone's attention. "Please, just listen to her."

A hush fell over the room as the boys who cried out their rebuttals looked away.

"None of you trust her as a person." Even Kurama looked away at that, but Yukina continued, looking down at her hands, "but Koenma trusts her abilities. And if he does," she looked up, "then I do too."

Everyone looked at her as she stood up. Yuumei looked interested.

"I trust her to try and do what's best for you."

Yusuke spoke up, feeling painfully aware that Yuumei was still in the room, "She tries to fight us."

Botan shot out of her seat and leaned over the table, bracing her hands against it. Yuumei walked to the hallway with the bedrooms, stopping at the girl's voice.

"Yusuke! It's you that fight her! It's your stupid pride. You just don't want a _girl who isn't a fighter_ to tell you what to do!"

"But she might be trying to sabotage us!" Yusuke whined. They heard a muffled noise, somewhat choking. They looked to see Yuumei's back, her hand fisted against the wall, her shoulders quaking, and odd noises coming from her. The boys looked guilty suddenly and looked away. Except Hiei, who narrowed his eyes at her back. He felt anger towards Yusuke. Pride, yes. It was pride fueling the detective's actions, but _sabotage_? The woman probably wasn't capable of pulling such a trick on them.

Botan and Yukina got up and wandered closer to Yuumei. Botan raised a hand to her shoulder cautiously. Did Yusuke's words cut her so deep?

But when her hand made contact, Yuumei lifted her head and laughed.

Yuumei looked back and saw the surprised faces, some still recovering from guilt, and laughed harder. She collapsed against the wall and brought her hands to her face. She was still laughing when she said, "I'm sorry. I've never heard such a thing before."

Yusuke had the decency to blush, "Well, it's not unheard of."

Yuumei calmed herself down, although a giggle popped out every now and then. "Yusuke, everyone. I'm just as stuck with you as you are with me. Except you can kill me. I can't."

* * *

She looked so confident and strong right then. She remained that way through the week, correcting Kuwabara and reminding the others of their blunders during quick matches. It was on Sunday that Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama left to return to their lives. Hiei tagged along with Kurama, needing to be away from her (at least according to the short demon). It was on Monday that Koenma called, informing them that she's missing.

* * *

Sped it up at the end there; really no point in explaining the week, nothing happens. More action coming up ;)

I love reviews (hint). And I love my reviewers. :) I'll have to make something for you guys.

-YSendo


	10. Chapter 10

No Yuumei in this one, but don't worry, I'm already writing the next chappie. And thank you so much to everyone who reviewed (seems people really liked the last chapter)

-YSendo

Chapter 10

The guys filed into Koenma's office. Koenma looked up from his papers. "Yuumei is gone."

"Yes," Kurama stated, "we understand that, but why is it an emergency?"

Yusuke crossed his arms, "Yeah, we did our time."

"No," Koenma said, "You weren't done with her. She was going to go on a few missions with you to monitor you all. She didn't leave, she was kidnapped."

"Why would someone kidnap _her_?" Hiei was leaning against a wall

"We thought," Koenma stood up on his desk and started pacing, "that it was for information at first."

"At first?" Kuwabara put in dumbly.

"Yes, you see. We got this video tape the day after." The prince picked up a remote control and pressed a button, a screen opened up from the wall and everyone turned to see.

_"Perhaps you have noticed, detective that a lover of yours is missing"_

Everyone glanced at each other confused. Lover?

On the screen was a tall, busty woman in her twenties. Or at least that's what she looked like. She had black wavy hair that framed her very sensual face. She wore an off-shoulder gown with a _low_ neckline.

_"Yukina I believe."_

The screen flashed to Yuumei, cuffed by the wrists and feet to what appeared to be a board propped against a cold, stone wall. There was no sign of her being in pain, although she had a thoughtful look on her face as she looked around taking in the surroundings. She caught sight of the camera and her eyes narrowed.

The beautiful woman came back on screen.

_"I expect that you would like to see her safe again, so it may be in your best interest to come to me within the next few days."_

The screen went blank.

"She thinks Yuumei is Yukina," Yusuke said around a fit of laughter, "That's rich."

Kurama was serious, however. "They would have Yukina if not for Yuumei."

"Ah, my Yukina," Kuwabara cried out, "I hope she is safe!"

"Hn, she is," Hiei said as his Jagan glowed briefly.

Koenma slid a piece of paper to the edge of the desk. "This is her location."

Everyone looked at the paper. Hiei backed away from the wall and picked it up. He scanned the coordinates and description of an abandoned fort surrounded by a benign forest. "This won't be difficult."

"So are you volunteering?" Kurama asked. Hiei stiffened. Closing his eyes he barked out, "No! You fools can go after her."

Kurama winked at Yusuke and said, "Well, I have more important things to do."

Hiei's eyes shot open. Yusuke caught on, "Yeah, Keiko's been complaining about me being so busy; it's best to lay off."

Kuwabara was confused, "but what about Yuumei?"

"I'm sure she can handle herself," Kurama reasoned.

"She's not a fighter!" Hiei had to agree with Kuwabara (silently, of course). He couldn't understand what was going through Kurama's mind and he couldn't breach it with his Jagan, Kurama is much too smart for that.

"Hey, Kuwabara," Yusuke cut in, "she'll be fine; come on, we'll go see Yukina."

Kuwabara looked torn, but followed happily when Yusuke walked off with Kurama. They left a perplexed Koenma and Hiei behind.

Koenma started panicking. "Oh dear, how could this happen? Why are they just leaving?!"

"Shut up."

Koenma didn't notice Hiei speak. "I knew I should never have taken off surveillance. She should always be watched!"

"Shut up!"

Koenma stopped ranting. He and Hiei looked at each other. Hiei narrowed his eyes and glared at the door. _What got into them?_

Koenma started frantically calling other Spirit World agents for help. Hiei, meanwhile, decided to leave as well.

* * *

Hiei wandered back into the dojo where they all stayed for that week to look for clues on his own. He was angry with himself; he should be relaxing in the park, enjoying a day off, but instead, he was the only one on the case. He felt obligated, in an odd way, to not abandon her the way his teammates apparently did.

Over the week they were stuck in the same household, the team developed a routine: Hiei would get up the earliest and head out to train after a small breakfast or fruit, Yuumei would then make coffee and a quick meal for everyone else. Then the team would emerge, eat, and Kurama and Yusuke would join Hiei. Kuwabara would wander off after Yuumei, who urged him to fight invisible targets so she can correct little things he did wrong. They would join the rest of the team where she would set up small matches with particular limitations.

The fight Hiei enjoyed most was the fist fight between himself and Yusuke, no high speed allowed. Yuumei seemed impressed with his ability to take hits, though she still looked down on his _willingness _to take them.

Hiei shook himself out of his thoughts and concentrated on the matter at hand.

Normally the soft human fools would take a chance to save someone's life immediately; now, it's someone they all knew, but they walk away. No one got particularly close to her, nor did she get close to anyone, but Hiei was under the impression that the team would save humans even less involved with the detectives.

As he looked around, Hiei noticed a lack of struggle. Did she go willingly? Did she give herself in? Perhaps she was taken while she was outside. Then he noticed her mug. The mug she always drank coffee from was on the ground, its contents forming a dried puddle around it. Hiei picked up the mug and washed it out in the sink.

Thoughtfully, he filled it with tap water and took a drink. He swallowed slowly and glared down a the cup. He tasted blood. There, on the rim, the ceramic mug was chipped and there was a bit of blood all around.

Hiei's jagan glowed as he tried to notice something more. Nothing. It seems the perpetrator, the woman or perhaps a lackey, was able to clean up after themselves. But they forgot this mug. He wondered what it meant. A chip in a mug with some blood…

Hiei took out his communicator, but it remained silent. He decided to show Kurama the mug and left for Genkai's temple.

Once there, Yukina ran up to him, nearly in tears. "I heard what happened; it's all my fault."

Hiei frowned at her, "No, it's not your fault."

"But they wanted me!"

"I would rather them grab her," Hiei's voice got quiet, "than you." He looked away, changing the subject. "Crying won't help her."

Yukina blinked away her tears with a smile that Hiei found very endearing. "You are so protective. But you're right. What will happen now, Hiei?"

Hiei hid the mug behind his back, he didn't want to worry her. "I need to see Kurama."

"They all left already."

Hiei cursed. His pocket beeped. It was Koenma. "I can't get any help round here," he looked very worried. "She's not important enough. We don't have much time left."

"I'll go."

Yukina watched as Hiei put away the device. "Can I come with you?"

Hiei stiffened. "No!" he said vehemently.

"But I can heal her." Yukina looked so sad. "And I could never forgive myself if she died because of me."

Hiei looked thoughtfully out the window. He didn't want to endanger his sister, but how could he deny her. She was right, if he went alone and Yuumei was in need of healing, Yukina would be devastated. _Then I'll be haunted too._

"Hn. Fine, but you _will _listen to me."

Yukina's face broke out into a smile, tears threatening to fall. She lauched herself at him. "Oh, thank you, Hiei. Thank you!"

Hiei awkwardly patted her back before backing away.

* * *

Reviews are nice :)

And sorry about the lack of main character, forgive me?

-YSendo


	11. Chapter 11

Two in one day, cool. So excited about this one :)

-YSendo

Chapter 11

Yuumei was attempting to take a nap in her uncomfortable position when a woman walked in. She tapped the board Yuumei was attached to. Yuumei looked at her with narrowed eyes. "I see there is spirit in you."

"Why did you grab me?" Yuumei said, running her tongue over the small cut on her inner lip.

"Yukina," the woman paused, "May I call you that?"

Yuumei's eyes widened. She was about to laugh and correct the woman, but thought better of it. This woman could have her killed, or worse, given to the damn golems that brought her here. Instead, she said, "You know my name, but I don't know yours."

"Relis."

"Why am I here?" Yuumei asked while twisting a little to wake up her arms.

"You are here," Relis ran her hands through her hair, "because I need a new host."

"Me?"

"Oh, heaven's no." Relis scoffed, "You are but a weak soul within a weak body. It's your lover I want."

"Kuwabara?" Yuumei guessed, absolutely perplexed, "What good would he do you?"

"He has an abundance of energy and still has a lifetime before him." She laughed at Yuumei's expression. "You see, I am no simple human woman. I am a spirit, forced to possess human bodies to survive."

"Can't the host overcome you?" Yuumei mumbled, having a hard time listening, she was just so tired.

"No, you fool. You see, I consume the soul. Once I take full control, the soul is no more. No afterlife, nothing." Relis paused and examined Yuumei's face, " You look tired, rest."

"How did you find me?" Yuumei pressed, blinking away the sleep from her eyes.

"Rumors; once I found that amusing buffoon for a host, I heard of you. The girl who can't fight. The one he loves. With how much time you spent with him, I'd think it would be obvious. Of course, there was that demon girl…"

That caught Yuumei's attention. "What about her?"

"Someone warned me that you were a demon, but that makes no sense. What human would fall in love with a demon. That's just not natural." Relis stood in front of Yuumei, her black locks framing her face perfectly. Her eyes softened. She put a hand to Yuumei's cheek and murmured, "You sleep now."

Yuumei's head suddenly filled with all sorts of images and colors, but everything seemed so blurry and sluggish. She felt extremely lethargic. She could make out one image. The image of crimson eyes looking down at her, the sun lighting Hiei's face as he reaches a hand towards her.

* * *

When Yuumei awoke, she noticed one of the two golems standing in the room. He was very plainly standing guard. He was a very bulky being made of clay he stood at nine feet with big strong arms and legs. Such golems were usually used for manual labor, Yuumei knew. "Hey, you" she cried out, but got absolutely no response. Obedient golems. _So there must be a control stone somewhere_. She remembered reading about these things. Golems were usually created and controlled by a special stone. The wielder of this stone can command them simply by presenting it. If the stone was shattered, however, the golems regain their will and can be unstoppable. This one probably won't react to anything except intruders.

Yuumei heard a commotion down the hall and Relis entered. Her off-shoulders gown was wrinkled and dirty. Relis gripped at her hair and paced back and fourth. "Bastards," she cursed. Then she looked at Yuumei and folded her hands in front of her, "they seem to think I am a joke. No one is coming."

"Perhaps they are occupied," Yuumei reasoned.

"This body was chosen for looks, I found that women have certain _wiles_ that can overcome sense."

"It is an exceptionally beautiful body," Yuumei conceded, observing the tilt of Relis's eyes, the nose, the breasts and hips.

"Thank you," Relis said to Yuumei through flirtatious lashes, "but I must make an example of you."

Relis drew a long sword from underneath her gown and wandered up to Yuumei, blade held out. Yuumei's eyes showed her fear. "Can't you take me?"

"You are weak, you can't tap into spirit energy. I would only become weak if I were to take you."

Yuumei's eyes widened and tears fell as Relis plunged the blade into her chest, right under her ribcage. She was too in pain to scream or yell. She shut her eyes and heaved a sob, feeling the blood gush out of the wound. Yuumei felt cold hands grasping her cheeks gently, a voice whispered in her ear, "You will die."

And there she left her, bleeding, in pain. Although Relis was surprised that the wound didn't shock Yuumei's heart into shutting itself down. The poor woman would have to bleed to death it seems.

Relis entered the main chamber of the abandoned fort she claimed as her own. She felt the anxiety and need to find another host. She simply planned this too long, and wasted too much time. Locked away, she has a host, but she couldn't settle for that psychic fool, he will not live long. However, it looks as though she must. She was about to wander down towards the secret shortcut when the stone golem in the chamber activated. Relis looked at it and smiled. She returned to the center of the chamber. She had enough time for this.

* * *

Hiei and Yukina arrived at the fort without problems. Hiei directed her carefully, while scouting the way with his jagan. He cursed as he saw several low class demons swarm. Yukina raised her shield as Hiei told her to do whenever an enemy approached and waited. Hiei's communicator buzzed while he was finishing off a wave of these creatures. Hiei opened the contraption to see Kurama's face. He looked like he was running, his hair swishing back and forth. "Go down to the dungeons, get Yuumei."

Hiei glared at Kurama, who smiled back and said, "We'll distract the ones behind this."

"What you said…" Hiei trailed off.

Kurama looked forward, seemingly checking where he was going. "It was a joke."

Hiei exploded, "A joke?! Is this your idea of a joke?!"

Yukina raised her shield as three more demons emerged to attack her, "Hiei!"

"- I had to bring her along because of that!"

"Hiei!"

"Hn?" He turned around and launched himself at the demons, slashing two and kicking the third into a wall. He looked back at the communicator, but the screen was blank.

"Let's go."

Once they reached the doorway to where he sensed Yuumei was, Hiei and Yukina stood in shock. There was Yuumei, strapped to a board with a large, grotesque puddle of blood beneath her. The sword was still sticking out of her stomach. "Yuumei!" Yukina's eyes filled up with tears and a few fell, turning to stones. Hiei was speechless. She looked as good as dead. Carefully, Hiei probed her mind with his jagan. As soon as he got inside her mind, one thought assaulted him, "Behind you!"

Hiei turned on his heel in time to see the clay golem starting to drop his fists on the demons. Hiei managed to whisk Yukina out of the way. He set her down beside the helpless Yuumei and Yukina raised her shield. She fought the urge to run to the injured girl.

Hiei summoned the darkness flames into his hands, and pulverized the slower, clumsier golem. Clay stood no match for his hell fires. He rushed to Yuumei's side, retracted the fires and snapped the bindings at her feet. He climbed the board to get at the shackles on her wrists. Once she was free, he flashed down to catch her an lay her back. Meanwhile, Yukina kneeled at her side and tried to heal the reopened wound when Hiei yanked the sword out. He tossed it across the room.

_This must have happened only minutes ago, _Hiei figured. It was a wonder she was still alive, if barely. She was lucky her blood clotted up as soon as it did.

Yukina managed to seal the wound, but in her rush to stop the bleeding, she didn't heal as thoroughly as she wanted to. The wound now appeared as a bruise; most likely, Yuumei will be very sore and weak for a while.

Hiei used his jagan and saw Kurama and the others struggling with the beautiful woman. He had to help them, but as he stood, he made the mistake of looking at Yukina.

Yukina was breathing hard, Yuumei's upper back and head was propped up on Yukina's front. Yukina looked at Hiei and told him to go.

"I can't just leave you here."

Yuumei groaned and opened her eyes. She looked a little confused and her eyes were glossed over, but after blinking a few times, they settled on Hiei. "I can walk."

Hiei looked doubtful, but Yuumei stood up, clutching her midsection tenderly. She stumbled a bit, but regained her balance and stood straight. Yukina stood carefully by her side. Hiei nodded at her.

* * *

When the trio got to the large chamber, Yuumei leaned onto a wall and slid down a little. Yukina thought she fainted, but noticed Yuumei's eyes as sharp as ever.

Hiei jumpd into the fight, nearly slashing Relis's arm off, but she managed to pull back. A pause ensued.

The chamber was in shambles. Vines littered the ground, most likely from Kurama, and the remains of a stone golems, larger than the one Hiei destroyed, laid in a heap. Yusuke seemed to have used his spirit gun quite a few times, judging from the holes in the walls. Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara were in a group in the center of the room with their backs to each other.

Relis seemed to float above the ground now, she was sweating and her gown was torn at the hem. She lowered herself to the ground, her gaze on Yuumei thoughtfully.

Hiei joined the group at the center and Kurama briefed him on the fight, how Relis can conjure up blasts anywhere.

They all now faced her. Relis looked at all of them and then summoned six balls of electric energy behind them. She focused on Yuumei as the guys were busy.

She looked her over from head to foot. Although there was a healer standing beside her, there was no way that Yuumei I could have been healed until ten minutes after she should have been dead. Relis got the feeling that there was something more to this woman than meets the eye.

Relis looked her over one more time. She wasn't as pretty as the specimen she was currently occupying, but that was no big deal. Yuumei looked to her to be in her late teens, or maybe early twenties. Surely she had a while to live still. Relis supposed that the lack spirit energy would be worth being able to cheat death the way Yuumei seemed able to do.

The team was down to their last too sphere when a brilliant light erupted from Relis. A mist seemed to rise out of her and as soon as it left, the body aged. The figure became lanky, the face thinned, and the hair grayed. While the team was slack-jawed and speechless, the mist traveled across the room and plunged into Yuumei's body. Yukina backed away fearfully as Yuumei, with a renewed strength, stood up and laughed.

The laugh jerked the guys back into reality. They hesitantly brought their weapons up as Kuwabara ushered Yukina behind them.

"Oh, I see," Relis said through Yuumei, "This one has such a long life. How wonderful."

The imposter looked at the team and said confidently. "It will take about five minutes to become attuned with this body. Once that happens, your _friend_ will be no more."

Yusuke looked away and lowered his hands. Kuwabara stubbornly kept his sword out, but it was apparent that he will not interfere. Kurama and Hiei steeled themselves. Yukina's voice cut through, "Yuumei will die if you hurt her."

"She is no longer Yuumei," Kurama said.

"We have five minutes." Hiei clarified.

They all stood, waiting, while Relis baited them. "I see now that this isn't Yukina. But I meant something to you all, didn't I?"

Kurama winced. Relis continued, looking over her new hands. "Have these ever touched any of you. Have any of you felt a spark from this being?"

Yusuke and Hiei bristled, was she inferring that Yuumei was _intimate_ with any of them?

Yusuke's communicator went off, when he answered, he saw Botan. "We're watching you. On screen. You have a two minutes left."

"Can't you do anything, Botan?" Yusuke asked angrily.

"This is out of your hands regrettably." She bit her lip. "Maybe Yuumei can wake up."

Relis laughed from within the body. "No, I have perfected my technique over many years, there is no way she can awaken."

A tense silence followed while everyone counted down in their heads. At half a minute, Hiei stepped forward confidently, his sword ready.

He lifted the blade and Relis understood that she overestimated the feelings. Hiei met her eyes and lifted his blade. Relis knew that she couldn't move this body much until she was attuned, and that knowledge and the fear it created flooded her gaze.

And it was that gaze that stopped him. Hiei's eyes couldn't leave hers. The glancing fear. He was about to shut his eyes and just kill her when Yuumei's eyes widened and the imposter collapsed and started coughing. Hiei backed up a few steps and watched as the coughing turned to hacking and blood splattered over the floor. Then, the mist emerged again, and raced back to the body of the once beautiful woman. Yuumei's body slumped to the side and Kurama rushed to examine her. He held her to his chest as he checked her pulse.

* * *

Hiei raced after the mist, unsure of whether Relis would need time or not with a body she already controlled. He immediately stabbed her chest with his sword, somehow piercing a lung. As her lungs flooded with blood, the now aged crone rasped out, "Now I see."

A bony hand gestured at her killer to come closer. Hiei had to kneel down and lean forward to hear her as she continued slowly, "She is human, but not on the inside."

"Hn?" Hiei narrowed his eyes. _There is no dormant demon inside of her_, he knew.

"Her organs. Demon organs." With a gasping breath, Relis released her own existence.

Hiei stood up and looked back at the team. Walking towards them, he digested the information. _ Demon organs…?_ He looked at Yuumei, who looked back at him wearily. She smiled, with a trail of blood still visible from her mouth to her chin. As he drew closer, she reached out and grasped his hand. She squeezed it before relaxing into Kurama's arms. Kurama lifted her as Yusuke called in for a portal back to the Human World.

Hiei watched as Kurama passed through the opening and swore to keep the tidbit of information to himself. For now.

* * *

Let me know what you think :) I love getting reviews. It's an addiction :P

-YSendo


	12. Chapter 12

Sorry for a bit of a delay; I'm working between two computers and I kinda transfered the wrong file there...anyway, here it is. Thanks for all my reviewers, alerts, and favs (yes, I do consider all to be great)

-YSendo

Chapter 12

The group decided to take Yuumei to Kurama's house; it was the cleanest and closest. Kurama made up a quick explanation for his mother, claiming that Yuumei's apartment was being robbed when she walked in. He said she may still be in shock. Shiori nodded and cast a worried glance at the girl in her son's arms.

She instructed them to make the girl comfortable and wandered off into the kitchen. Kurama left Yuumei on the bed and went back to the living room while Yukina helped her change into one of Kurama's button up shirts (Yuumei's shirt was bloodied up and torn). Yukina smiled at Yuumei and left.

* * *

Yuumei could barely keep her eyes open, but she was just so hungry. Problem was that she wasn't sure if she could stomach the idea of solid food. Yuumei sat up on the bed, her legs under the covers, and held her stomach. She was very sore and very uncomfortable. _Better than dead, I suppose_.

* * *

Kurama was picking out a book for Yuumei, in case she got bored, when he noticed Hiei in the kitchen conversing with his mother. He watched as Hiei handed her a familiar mug and then replied angrily at some comment she made. Shiori smiled at him and nodded. Hiei leaned back against the countertop and raised his eyes to Kurama's. He glared, still angry at the 'joke.'

Kurama suppressed a giggle. The somewhat serious prank has done its job; it made Hiei prove to Kurama, if not to himself, that yes, he held some care for Yuumei's safety. And it that wasn't the case, then at least it proves that Hiei might have developed a liking to saving the lives of others. Kurama sighed, _very unlikely_.

He started back to his room and smiled at Yuumei offering the book. She accepted it and laid it in her lap as she looked back at him and plainly said, "I heard of what you pulled."

"I suppose you wouldn't find the humor in it," he conceded.

"No," she narrowed her eyes, "especially considering my state. Had you not tried to joke around, I wouldn't be in this condition."

Kurama smiled meekly and Yuumei sighed, "Well, I will forgive you this once. You couldn't have known what will happen."

Kurama felt a wave of guilt and quietly apologized and excused himself. It was true, his plan did not really cover for injuries; but then again, none of the team took Relis seriously until they started fighting her. He was slightly relieved when she simply smiled at him. Perhaps she understood his reasoning.

After Kurama left, Yuumei set the book on the floor next to the bed. She didn't feel up to reading. In fact, she didn't really feel up to anything. She just wanted silence.

* * *

She opened her eyes as Hiei walked into the room and closed the door. He offered her a mug of coffee.

"My mug," Yuumei sighed contently, sipping from the container. Hiei watched her with his crimson eyes and stated, in that doubtless voice, "It's chipped."

"Oh?" Yuumei examined the rim, "It is. Huh. Must have slammed my teeth into it when that golem clobbered me over the head. That would explain the cut on my lip."

Hiei nodded and sat down on the edge of the bed. He crossed his legs and arms and sat there with his eyes closed. They remained in silence as Yuumei sipped from the mug. Then, as her head was nodding off to sleep, his voice cut through the fatigue, "The woman said you possessed demonic organs."

Yuumei opened her eyes to look at Hiei confused, only to find him staring at her in a stern manner. "I…" she stammered, "I didn't know."

Hiei's eyes only narrowed. He decided to reveal the secret to her in hopes of satisfying his curiosity. He watched as she processed the information.

"Actually," she said after a minute, "that does explain a lot."

_Like-?_ he wondered. Yuumei shook her head suddenly. "Are you sure? I mean, it sounds very unlikely."

"Impossible," Hiei replied.

Yuumei cut in, "For you to be wrong or for me to have demonic entrails?"

He seemed to look within himself for a moment or two. "That _witch_ claimed so with her dying breath. She could have been lying. How could she know?"

"I got the feeling," Yuumei revealed while setting the mug on the ground next to the book and folding her hands in her lap, "that she tried to take a demon once. Perhaps she knew what demon parts _feel_ like. What happened anyway?"

"You mean you don't know?" Hiei uncrossed his arms and turned towards her, his eyes wide.

"The last thing I remember was slumping against a wall," Yuumei's eyes unfocused, as though she was replaying the memories in her head, "then I woke up in Kurama's arms with you bent over an aged body."

Hiei answered the unasked question with a simple, "Relis."

"Either way," Yuumei started cautiously, "I'll ask Koemna to run some tests, then we can verify whether it is true or not."

Hiei nodded and closed his eyes again. Yuumei's eyes threatened to close with sleep, especially since the coffee calmed her need for food. She fought it. It was rare for Hiei to attempt to interact with anyone, least of all her; she just had to enjoy it.

After a few minutes of silence, there was a knock on the door. Botan opened the door a few seconds after that and smiled at the pair. Yuumei looked at her curiously, while Hiei turned his head to the right, scoffing Botan's presence, but not budging from his spot on the bed. Botan almost skipped up to the bed. She whipped out pair a scissors and snipped a lock of Hiei's hair from his head.

"What the -?" Hiei spun around, but Botan was busy with contraction in her hand.

She clicked the face of the device back into place with a finger and held it up triumphantly at Yuumei. "Here we are! The upgraded demon compass, now complete with Hiei's DNA. Give me your wrist."

Yuumei stuck out her right wrist and watched as Botan pushed back the sleeve and attached the contraption to her arm. She said warily, "Isn't it dangerous for me to wear that?"

"Why would it be?" Botan looked genuinely oblivious.

"Let's say," Yuumei said dryly, examining her wrist tiredly, "that I were to lose it, or it be taken from me. Then the enemy will be able to trace Hiei."

Botan blinked, then straightened while scratching the back of her head, "Well, we'll just have to see to it that that doesn't happen."

Hiei scoffed and glared at the compass, while Yuumei stifled a yawn with her hand and asked, "Is that all?"

"Yes, Lord Koenma thought it would-" Botan started. Yuumei interrupted, "Then tell everyone to not bother me please. I'm getting some rest."

With that, Yuumei shimmied down the bed to where she can lie back on the pillow. She turned on her side and curled into a sleeping position, careful to not bump Hiei from his perch. Botan nodded, although Yuumei couldn't see it, and left. Hiei stared after her, irritated. He rubbed his head where the woman tugged to cut his hair and looked back at Yuumei.

He lowered his hand slowly, watching her squirm a little to get into a comfortable position. His gaze then slid to the compass on her wrist. It was pointed straight at him, unwavering. _Useless thing_, he thought, annoyed that no one even bothered telling him of this plan. Hiei looked down at his lap thoughtfully, wondering about the girl beside him and her new _condition_. Then, he closed his eyes and smirked. He vanished.

* * *

I'll try to post soon. Thanks for reading.

-YSendo


	13. Chapter 13

Sorry for the wait :x

-YSendo

Chapter 13

Yuumei didn't wake up until morning, when Kurama stood by the door with a change of clothes, patiently knocking on the open door. Yuumei sat up and rubbed her eyes before returning a greeting. "Good morning."

"Good morning yourself," Kurama laid the clothes on the foot of the bed, "be ready in fifteen; Koenma needs us."

Yuumei stretched her hands above her head and yawned, allowing Kurama a nice view of her wrist, "The demon compass."

"Yeah," Yuumei confirmed as she slipped out of the bed, "neat gizmo. It's suppose to track Hiei for me."

Kurama smiled and left Yuumei to change. Yuumei tossed the dress shirt she was wearing on the bed and slipped on the red t-shirt. Kurama's communicator caught her eyes when she was pulling on a pair of jeans. She flipped it open and practically scared Koenma out of his chair.

"What do you want?" the ruler asked, looking melancholy with the dark bags under his eyes and several cups of coffee littering the desk. Yuumei didn't waste time. "I need to get a scan. Full body."

"Yes," Koenma mumbled, more to himself, "there might be some residue from that _possession_. We can't have that."

_Well, that's not exactly what I was worrying about…,_ Yuumei thought with a sigh. She agreed to the time Koenma proposed and pocketed the communicator before leaving the room to join Kurama, who was waiting outside.

Together, they decided to walk through the nearby park as a shortcut to the school, where the team was supposed to meet. Along the way, Kurama entertained her with a synopsis of what happened in Koenma's office when they briefed him about Relis.

* * *

"He was afraid that his father would be furious that a malicious soul was able to fool Spirit World and feed off of others the way it did," Kurama concluded with a smile.

"Ah," Yuumei said around a laugh, "it's nice to know that whatever Relis was wasn't a natural occurrence."

"Yes," Kurama breathed out. A long silence followed. Yuumei glanced sideways at her companion to see him look very nervous. She smiled softly to herself and knelt down to examine a flower on the side of the path they were following.

"Interesting little guy. What is it? An orchid?" she asked curiously, successfully distracting Kurama from his thoughts.

"Calanthe discolor. Pretty common actually," Kurama said with amusement as he leaned over her shoulder to glance at the flower with brown and white petals.

"Well," Yuumei said dryly, but fighting a smile, "don't you just feel so smart."

Kurama straightened and sighed, "I thank you for trying to make me feel better, but the problem is, I have this celebration I must attend in a month for the end of school."

"A party, huh?" Yuumei stood up as well and looked at Kurama curiously.

"I'd rather avoid being mauled by my fans, who are sure to be there."

Yuumei smiled at him and glanced at her wrist, forgetting for a moment that it wasn't a watch on her arm, "Sucks to be you."

"Actually," Kurama started, "I was hoping you could come along with me."

Yuumei was stunned. "I…"

"You don't have to give me an answer now," Kurama said defensively, raising his hands. "It's only April. It won't be a date; I can introduce you as my cousin."

Yuumei closed her eyes before she replied, "Good. And don't worry, you're not my type anyway."

"Oh," Kurama replied with a very amused expression, "and just who, pray tell, is your type?"

Yuumei opened her eyes just enough to look at him through her lashes. With a mysterious, relaxed smile, she turned her head to the east. "Hello, Hiei."

"Hn." He dropped down from a tree and nodded at Yuumei and Kurama. He glared as Kurama started chuckling, then threw Yuumei a confused, yet still angry look. Yuumei just shrugged and continued down the path, followed by the two males.

* * *

Once they got to the school, Yusuke greeted them from atop a nearby wall. Kuwabara was leaning against the same wall, pouting. Botan bounced up to the approaching three and teased them about being late. Hiei didn't react to that too well. In fact, Botan ended up nursing a headache as Yusuke had to explain, in layman's terms, the mission objectives.

Yuumei and Hiei rolled their eyes at his explanation. Kurama sighed and sagged his shoulders. Yusuke's idea of the mission was to (quote) "kill the bastards, grab the what-cha-ma-call-it, and head on back."

Kuwabara was laughing, slapping Yusuke on the back for his humor, only to be silenced by Hiei's glare. Botan, with a hand still rubbing her temple, was switching her glare from Yusuke to Hiei, and back before clearing her throat, "A seal ring was stolen by a group of demons. Yuumei will identify the species for you."

"I will?"

Botan sighed, "You studied this, you'll do okay. Once you all get it back, regroup and call us."

Hiei was about to walk towards the temporary portal when Botan called his name. Botan continued with a harsh glare, "You all will listen to Yuumei. She will be in charge of strategy."

Yuumei put her arms up defensively as the team looked at her with various levels of enthusiasm. She checked her compass again; she wasn't too confident about Spirit World technology, but the thing seemed to be working fine, tracking Hiei as he migrated between intimidating Botan, to standing next to Kurama, to stomping on Kuwabara's foot. However, as he passed through the portal after Yusuke, the needle spun around wildly a few turns before becoming limp.

Yuumei blinked thoughtfully. _So, it only tracks in the same world._ Yuumei heard a 'humph' from Botan before getting shoved into the portal by the impatient ferry girl.

* * *

Yuumei collided with Kuwabara when she landed in the demon world. A pair of binoculars flew out of the portal after her, but Kurama intercepted it before it could nail her.

Yuumei noticed the demons about a mile out, in the valley. "Let's see. My guess would be an earth elemental and two lizard demons."

Yusuke looked at her curiously, "You're guessing?"

"I don't exactly have real experience with demons," she replied, lowering the binoculars as Hiei passed in front of her and hopped down the shallow cliff they landed on. Yusuke followed immediately, while Kuwabara demanded that the half-pint wait for them. Kurama was the last to descend, leaving Yuumei to survey the situation from above.

Yuumei sighed, raised the binoculars again, and signaled for them to just go ahead.

She watched the boys engage the earth elemental. A tough fight, but it was nothing they couldn't handle. The enemy would envelop himself in earth to restore his limbs, but that took a good amount of his demon energy; once the elemental was out of energy, he would be easy to dispose of. A glint in the lenses caught Yuumei's attention. The two lizards have sneaked out of vision earlier, but now one returned. He turned to escape, this time with the ring it his small clenched fist.

Yuumei jumped up and down to catch someone's attention. Kuwabara noticed her, but didn't seem to understand her frantic pointing into the forest. Yuumei slapped her forehead and pointed at Hiei, who was pausing to find an opening.

Yuumei watched as Kuwabara yelled something at Hiei, making him glance in her direction. She felt that discomfort again and formed a clear thought: _The lizard has the ring, catch him._ To her delight, Hiei responded instantly, flitting off into the forest and disappearing from view. Yuumei set her hands on her hips and a smile broke out on her face. She felt very proud of herself.

She heard a crunch behind her and turned swiftly. _The other demon! _she thought desperately. So, she was very confused over the horrified expression on the second lizard's face. It seemed stuck on him as he had a small dagger in his small hand raised above his head. For a moment, time stood still for Yuumei. Nothing happened in that long second; then the world moved.

Yuumei yelped as he fell forward, towards her. She tried to calm her heart as the deadly-looking plant retracted the vine from the demon's back. She laughed nervously to herself. _ Kurama, you little…_

When she looked back at the battle, she saw it was over. Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara were heading back. Kurama kept looking over his shoulder at the forest.

As Yusuke approached, he asked firmly, "So where's Hiei?"

Yuumei looked at her compass and jumped down, stumbling a little upon landing on the gravel. She ran off, keeping her eyes glued to the compass as the boys followed closely behind, yelling out warnings about trees.

It took about five minutes to find him. Hiei was sitting up against a tree a few feet from the mutilated body. Yusuke scowled at him, "This is your home and all, but could we head back now?"

Hiei sneered, showing off his sharp fangs and stood up. Kurama noticed the dark patch on his side, but didn't say a word as Hiei came up to them. Kuwabara was talking to Botan while Yuumei was looking around the forest, unnerved by the normal Demon World noises.

A portal opened and they filed through. Hiei tossed the ring at Koenma's head, knocking him out of the chair. The boys accepted the half-hearted thanks and left. Hiei paused and glared at Yuumei, who remained where she was. Yuumei smiled at him and waved him off.

* * *

Sorry about little action...


	14. Chapter 14

More of a fluff chapter, but hey, gotta have those. Thanks to all my reviewers again, and fav...ers?

-YSendo

Chapter 14

Yuumei followed her compass and settled under the tree Hiei was sitting in. Hiei didn't move or even open his eyes from his perch as he growled out, "What do you want?"

Yuumei just curled her legs against her and wrapped her arms around herself. She didn't reply. After a long silence, Hiei started getting curious. Why would the woman seek him out if she didn't have anything to say? He opened his eyes and glanced down at her.

He realized that she looked very melancholy. He sat back up and closed his eyes, but couldn't sleep anymore. It felt as though her sadness simply penetrated his brain and wouldn't leave. Hiei hopped down to the ground and frowned at her. She didn't look up.

At last, she reacted as he sat down beside her. "Everything internal, except my brain and heart, is demon."

Hiei narrowed his eyes at her before smirking, "You thought I was joking." It was a statement.

"I hoped you were," Yuumei admitted. Hiei said in a deadpanned voice, "I do not joke."

"I am human, I was born human; but because of this," Yuumei put a hand on her stomach, "I can't _be _human."

"You should be glad," Hiei said angrily as he stood up, "you are not fully a part of that miserable race."

He walked away, his squared shoulders were a clear warning to not follow him. He watched her with his jagan eye, however. He watched her expression fall. He saw her eyes slide away from him. He saw her hold onto herself tighter. He knew she wanted some sort of comfort. He knew that even an encouraging word would make her okay. Yet he walked away. He walked away cursing himself for wanting to turn back.

* * *

Hiei found himself a nice tree halfway across town, but the distance didn't make him feel any better. Some lonely part of him understood what she was going through. She wasn't just different anymore, she was a monster in her own eyes; but the rational part of Hiei, the cold, sophisticated part, just wanted to yell at her to get over it. Her life will never be the same. _Learn to live with it, _he sent to her, although he never allowed the words to form in her head. Instead, he sensed her emotions, her confusion, as a single thought kept echoing in her mind: _I'm a monster._

It was Kurama who sought him out next, with determination on his face and a first aid kit in his hand. "Hiei?" he asked firmly, nodding at the demon when he appeared.

Hiei scowled at the first aid kit, knowing that the fox saw his blood. The blood of a wound he received for his recklessness. The wound didn't want to close up, even after several hours, but Hiei refused to call it a problem. Last thing he needed was a tricky fox, or an agitated woman, to point it out to him.

"How did it happen?" Kurama asked as he tried to pull at Hiei's tunic. Hiei shoved his friend's hands from his person with a grunt in reply. Kurama frowned.

Hiei avoided his eyes but allowed the fox an answer, "The little bastard was fast, and quiet. He hid and I…" Hiei stopped, this time slapping away the persistant hands. "I'm fine," he growled out.

Kurama sighed and stood back, allowing Hiei his pride. He did, however, ask the short demon to accompany him to a dinner that Yukina is throwing for everyone. Hiei held a refusal on the end of his tongue, but instead bit his tongue and nodded. He was growing hungry, after all.

* * *

When Hiei and Kurama arrived, Yukina greeted them cheerfully, informing them politely that they were right on time. They approached the table and noticed two empty spots. One between an overly talkative Botan and a bored to tears Yusuke, the other between Yuumei, who seemed very unhappy to be there, and Keiko, who glared at Yusuke half the time. Hiei looked between the two spots and the windowsill behind Koenma (who sat at the end of the table); he caught his sister's eye and she smiled brilliantly at him. Hiei nodded to her stiffly. _I can't insult her,_ he thought bitterly, and that left him with the two choices. Normally, he would avoid a seat next to the ferry woman like a plague, but seating himself next to Yuumei would only cause tension. As Hiei contemplated his choices, Kurama ended up making the choice for him, by settling down next to Botan with a smile.

Uncomfortable with being the only one not sitting (and everyone was starting to stare at him), Hiei slid into the only available chair. Keiko greeted him with a meek 'hello,' while Yuumei flashed a brief, forced smile. Hiei couldn't resist glancing at her, just to see if she's fine now. She was eating slowly, carefully chewing her food, her eyes slightly glazed, when she noticed him. She turned her head, staring at him full on.

He inhaled sharply, his eyes widened a fraction, but Hiei locked his jaw and stared back, refusing to be intimidated. They stared at each other, for a mere moment enchanted. Then, Yuumei tapped a finger against her head, hoping he would get the hint. That made Hiei snap back into reality. He turned back to his food, and for a moment Yuumei was afraid she scared him off, but then she felt the tingle in her brain and she formed a thought, testing the connection, _Are you all right?_

_I should ask you that question,_ she heard Hiei remark dryly in her head.

Yuumei let a frown slip on her face, _But you won't, will you?_

Hiei didn't reply, in part because he sensed the question saddened her and a commotion arose at the table. It was Botan.

"Lord Koenma, what were Yuumei's results?" she asked light-heartedly, hoping to stop the silence around the table. Beside him, Hiei felt Yuumei stiffen.

_That little…!_ Yuumei worked to control her anger; after all, Botan didn't know what happened, only that Yuumei was taken back for testing. But the results were Yuumei's, not Koenma's to give out.

She started clenching her fist under the table, a fork in hand. But when a odd, comforting warmth enveloped her hand, she looked at her hand, anger forgotten. "You talk too much, woman." Hiei growled across the table at Botan, thankful that the table hid his hand on Yuumei's. Now if only the brunette would stop looking at him like he grew another head…It was getting hard to keep the color from his cheeks.


	15. Chapter 15

Hey, new post. Bit more action, as well as a character. Woot!

-YSendo

Chapter 15

Botan bit her tongue, but the damage was done. Yusuke started to harass Koenma to the point that the ruler blurted out Yuumei's condition. A shocked silence followed. Kurama was the first to recover.

"I thought such a case was impossible," the fox dabbed at his lips with a napkin. "It's unnatural."

Yukina looked very concerned for her friend as she asked from across the table if she was alright. Yuumei gave her a tight smile before standing up. Everyone watched as she walked up to the window and stared out. After a moment, she spoke, "When I was younger, my parents would just look at me sometimes and say," Yuumei's face broke into a nostalgic smile, "'You are a miracle. That man gave us a miracle.'"

She turned to every, leaning her back on the window and bracing her hands on the sill. "Once I got older, I asked them about that. They told me that I was born weak. I was frail and sickly for the first three months of my life. Then I got bad case of the flu. My parents told me that I couldn't breathe sometimes, my coughs would shake my entire body, and that I barely had the energy to eat. They took me to a hospital, but the medics there claimed that I would die soon, if not from the flu, then by some other common disease; they had more hopeful patients to work on. But then…then there was a doctor who approached us and offered an experimental surgery that would cure me of my weakness."

Botan put down her utensils and said, more to herself, "What a hard, moral decision."

Yuumei glanced at her and straightened, walking carefully behind Botan's chair, making the ferry girl jump when she spoke, "Tell me. If you loved your child more than your own self, wouldn't you take it?"

Yuumei met everyone's eyes individually before turning to pace around the room. "That's what they did. And they never regretted it. Sure, it caused some sort of slowed maturing, but they didn't _care_."

Kurama had a thoughtful frown on his face. "But how is it possible that your body accepted the organs?"

Koenma answered for her, "There is a mass on heart. At first, we thought it was a tumor, but then we saw it beat. Somehow, this demon _added_ a part of a demon heart onto hers, making the blood pump in a way that demons are accustomed to."

Hiei frowned and mumbled, just loud enough for everyone to hear, "It changes her energy. The difference from humans."

Yuumei nodded, her eyes glazing. "Yes, a second heartbeat. A demon heartbeat."

There was a dramatic silence as everyone digested this information. It was broken by Koenma's pocket, which started to play an absolutely _horrid_ tune. He pulled out the communicator, ignoring the snickers from Yusuke and Kuwabara.

George was on the other side. "Lord Koenma! We need you back; _someone_ is asking for you." Koenma paled at the emphasis on the word. He stood up and hastily thanked Yukina as he stumbled in a half-run out of the room. Yusuke and Kuwabara burst out laughing and Yuumei smiled slightly. Whatever tension there was, was broken.

* * *

Everyone started to stand up; Yusuke and Kuwabara headed out for a spar while Yuumei shadowed them. Keiko and Shizuru excused themselves to catch the bus back to the city. Botan hopped on her oar and zipped off with a promise to keep the team posted.

This left Kurama and Hiei to help Yukina clean up. They gathered the dishes and took them to the kitchen without a word. Hiei frowned at Yuumei's half-full plate.

"Dinner was delicious," Kurama stated as he scraped the leftovers into a large bowl as Yukina asked him to.

"Thank you," she replied although she seemed a little out of it. "Poor Yuumei."

Hiei looked at his sister pointedly, "The girl will have to accept it. There is no use in pitying her."

Kurama glared at his friend when Yukina spun around with glistening eyes. She answered passionately, "That doesn't mean it's easy!" She looked a little forlorn, "She has a secret now that will earn her disgust if anyone finds out about it."

Hiei felt a wave of guilt consume him. The way Yukina said it sounded a little too close to her own situation. Yukina, too, was treated poorly when other young ice apparitions learned of her brother's existence. And neither Yukina's having a brother or Yuumei's early operation was either of the girls' fault.

Kurama was looking out the window when his and Hiei's compact buzzed. He pulled it out and nodded at Koenma's red face as he was told that all detectives are to report to his office.

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Yusuke groaned while massaging his temples, "someone got robbed of some powerless trinket and _it's a state of emergency?_"

Koenma sighed again, "He happens to be a high-ranking Spirit World official; he also happens to really like this trinket. Look, it should be simple. Just go fetch it."

The boys paused outside of the bunker where Koenma told them to go. It was just a grey, concrete block with slits for windows. The thieves thought it would be safer to remain in the Human World, instead of fighting off hordes of demons who would find such a statue worth much as well.

Hiei frowned from his perch on one of the many leafless, dying trees. _It's a god-forsaken golden swan!_ Utterly useless, not to mention the fact that it doesn't seem too masculine. He smirked at Kurama's sigh. The poor fool felt bad for the vegetation here; Hiei wouldn't be surprised if the fox started verbally apologizing to the plants.

Yusuke slid open the door into the bunker just enough to get in. Inside, there was a large archway that lead to the main room. They split up and took opposite sides of the arch: Hiei and Kurama on one side, Yusuke and Kuwabara on the other. Hiei peaked into the room. There were two long tables spanning the length of the room. Both were filled with over a dozen demons each. At the end of the makeshift aisle down the middle, there was a stone pedestal with that damned swan on top. The swan itself was about the size of Kuwabara's head, and, to Hiei, seemed just as hideous. It was a delicate piece with lots of intricate patterns and curves.

A commotion brought Hiei's gaze across the archway. To see Yusuke and Kuwabara rush out into the room. Hiei looked at Kurama who wore a rare and amusing stunned face before they joined in.

To each detective, there were about nine demons. The demons were not too bright or powerful, but they were very resilient, and in groups, very aggravating. It was Kuwabara who decided to just make a run for it, ramming into and running down anyone who stood in his way (including Hiei had he not noticed and jumped out of the way). Kuwabara managed to throw himself to the pedestal, but was just inches from grabbing it when he felt the demons grab him and attempt to pull him back.

The human was determined and even able to pull forward almost to touching the statue, when it was lifted by a small, smooth hand. He looked up and saw sharp grey eyes belonging to a short female with straight, dark hair. "Give that back you-!" Kuwabara was yanked back violently and thrown into a wall, flying right past Hiei.

Hiei glanced back at the fallen teammate and unraveled the bandages on his right arm. "Out of the way!" His command was immediately followed and he released his dragon on the horde of demons in front of them. As the dust and debris settled, a body, about Hiei's height, landed on the ruined pedestal, the golden swan in her hand.

Kurama stepped forward, his whip coiled up in his hand as he firmly requested the trinket.

"No," she said, her voice held no amusement. "I am returning this little thing for a large reward to my employer."

_Bounty hunter, _was the thought that crossed everyone's mind. Kurama countered with his own offer, "My employer will match and raise the bounty."

The girl seemed to think on that, allowing the detectives to examine her. As stated, she stood just short of Hiei's height. She was petit in all ways, with sharp stormy eyes. Her hair was cut just above her shoulder and was very straight and looked as though it was black with a violet sheen to it. She wore a skin-tight shirt with no sleeves and knee-length pants with thick, wood-soled slippers. She held a small dagger that looked more like a letter opener than a weapon. Kurama could sense a decent amount of demon energy flowing from her.

The girl nodded and turned to walk out. She watched Hiei carefully as he approached the fallen human and kicked him. With a smirk, she closed her eyes and followed after the redhead, while Yusuke gathered Kuwabara on his back with a glare at Hiei, who shrugged and smirked.

* * *

Koenma was furious. Although the trinket was returned, unharmed to its owner, he was now stuck with an angry little spitfire who thought she deserved some sort of reward. The boys were standing back beside the door (with a conscious Kuwabara), looking grim as the toddler compromised with the girl. "I will not pay you that much!"

"Then let me stick around and pay me in increments!" This reply was a shock and Koenma wondered what suddenly made her say this. A brief glance of grey eyes to Hiei answered the question. _A little demon crush, eh?_

"All right," he said, entirely too cheerful, making Hiei glare at him, "you will remain with them."

The boys each came forward with protests, while the girl simply walked out with a smug little smile at Hiei, who growled back. He was only in her company for five minutes, and the girl already pissed him off to no end with her 'covert' glances.

* * *

Hiei mood lifted a little at Yuumei's reaction. Yuumei was sweeping dirt from the walkway to the bathhouse of the training dojo when the group, plus one, approached. At first, she gave the girl a curious glance. Kurama explained the situation. Yuumei smiled at the girl, and then at Hiei. The girl didn't smile back, and in fact, attempted to block Yuumei's view of the fire demon. Yuumei got the hint and glared. "Who exactly are you?"

"Lei."

"A pleasure," Yuumei replied dryly, not bothering to give her own name.

Lei jumped as she felt something hit her back, surprised when she turned to see Hiei collapsed, barely caught by Yusuke. Yusuke carried him off, while Kurama simply explained that this was normal. Yuumei and Lei glared at each other; the taller girl crossed her arms and walked inside without a word.

* * *

Reviews? -YSendo


	16. Chapter 16

Yay for update. Sorry for the wait.

-YSendo

Chapter 16

Hiei jerked awake, immediately shooting up into a sitting position to examine his surroundings. His violent movement caused Yuumei, who was leaning over him, to yelp in surprise. Hiei looked at her to see her holding her hand to her chest with a sigh of relief.

"You really scared me there for a moment," she said with a smile. He blinked and glanced around the room. His tunic and shirt were folded on the windowsill while his boots were beside the dresser. His sword rested atop it. The door was opened to reveal the smiling faces of his teammates, who were alerted by Yuumei's slight scream. Among those was that new girl, Lei.

Lei danced around the group and came forward, bumping Yuumei back a little to make room by the bed. She opened her mouth to say something, but instead stumbled to the side when Yuumei shoved back. Yuumei smiled at the fire demon, "There's some food waiting for you if you want it, Hiei."

"Hn." Hiei threw off the covers and stretched, rubbing his chest a little. He glanced down when he felt the bandage wrapped around his torso. With a glare at Kurama, who grinned sheepishly, he got to his feet and walked briskly to the kitchen area.

Lei growled at Yuumei. The taller girl was a nuisance; even more of a nuisance than normal humans. To a demon such as Lei, humans were a worthless breed of cattle, only to be kept as food or free labor; now this human was so cocky as to think she could hold the attentions of a powerful demon such as Hiei. _Pfft, over my dead body!_ Lei thought viciously.

* * *

Kurama sighed as he followed Yusuke and Kuwabara to grab something to eat. Over the past four hours Hiei was hibernating, the two girls were at ends. Lei would try to undermine and insult Yuumei, while Yuumei would ignore the shorter demon's existence.

Hiei was sitting on the sill of the open window in the living room, nibbling on a chicken breast; Yusuke and Kuwabara were devouring the rest of the chicken. Kurama just sat down when an angry Yuumei almost ran past him with a towel. The door slammed as she left for the bathhouse.

Everyone stared after her, confused. It was rare to find Yuumei angry; she had more of a nonchalant attitude. She would get irritated at their unwillingness to listen to her sometimes, but never truly angry.

Lei wandered out of the room with a triumphant gleam in her grey eyes as she came up to Hiei and asked, "You okay now?" She admired his chest openly, almost purring with satisfaction of her choice.

"Hn." Hiei looked out the window and saw Yuumei standing outside the bathhouse door her profile clearly visible as she seemed to clench her jaw tightly. Hiei frowned, "What did you do?"

Lei smiled at him and sat down under the window. "I simply told her the truth. No demon would come to love a human."

"What?!" It was Kuwabara. "How could you say such things?!"

"It's true," Lei yelled defensively, "why would any demon lower himself to the level you _wretched humans_ live on!"

Kuwabara held himself back visibly; he couldn't hit a girl, even if it was a loudmouthed, small demon girl. "Nothing can stop the power of love!" he said with that sparkle he got when he thought of his Yukina. He couldn't imagine a world where his love was unrequited. He was so naïve.

Lei glowered at the large human. She crossed her arms and said decisively, "Demons cannot love humans." She looked to Hiei for support, but found none.

Hiei glared at the girl, but denying that statement might give her, and his teammates, some ideas that he wasn't too happy with. While what he felt for Yuumei was far from _love_, that didn't mean other, _weaker_ demons don't suffer from that emotion. What exactly did he feel for Yuumei? Hiei looked within himself as he stared out the window. He recognized the begrudging respect, not for her strength, but for her resilience. He felt proud whenever she would show just how much he awed her; she really was an ego-booster. He saw himself interested in her; she was unique.

Kuwabara wouldn't drop the subject and the fight continued, but Hiei wasn't listening anymore. Instead, he glanced out the window and caught Yuumei's eyes. _Why hadn't she moved?_ He saw something in her eyes, something that took him only a moment to recognize: disappointment.

Hiei had to look away; her stare was piercing and it stabbed at a deep, deep part of him. He knew that she was acutely aware of his silence, his reluctance to be on her side of the argument.

Hiei looked up again, only to see the door close behind her. If she wanted him to be on her side, then did that mean…

* * *

"You are investigating, not killing," Koenma said for the tenth time. "You are to use stealth."

"Then I suggest you don't let the idiot go." Hiei said with a smirk.

"Wanna repeat that, half-pint?!" Kuwabara raised his fist, eager for a skirmish.

"Fool," Hiei repeated, "you couldn't be quiet to save your life."

"Figures," Lei threw in from a corner of the room. "He _is_ only human after all."

Yusuke ground his teeth. He thought Hiei had a distasteful attitude towards the Human World, but Lei definitely takes the cake. She would be an okay girl if it weren't for that bias. Lei gets along with Yukina just fine, at least.

Yuumei stepped forward. "I will not go."

Koenma chewed on his pacifier and sneaked a glance at the short girl next to Hiei, "Why? This will give you a chance to observe the team's stealth."

"I," Yuumei paused to collect her self, "have some things to take care of at home. Besides," she said with a sigh, "I have no experience with sneaking; how am I to rate them?"

"All right," Koenma said begrudgingly. Lately, Yuumei has started to distance herself from everyone, finding excuses to stay secluded in her training dojo. Often, the young prince thought of asking Hiei to go check on her, but the demon made it obvious that unless she was in danger, he would respect her privacy.

* * *

This was how the team and Lei were suddenly face-to-face with the owner of a hellsteed racing organization. The demon was a short, pudgy thing with a bald head and beady little eyes. They were discovered due to Yusuke and an unfortunate cold that he developed. One sneeze and they were surrounded. The leader smiled lewdly at them. "Well now, let's give my patrons some entertainment."

Kuwabara yelled up at the leader through the glass, "When I get my hands on you!"

Hiei was the one to smack him over the head. Kuwabara glared and was about to yell at him when he noticed Hiei covered his mouth and nose with the white scruff of his tunic. "Wha-?" was all he could say before his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he passed out from the gas now engulfing the room.

The leader laughed from the other side of the protective glass as one-by-one, the team fell as the gas penetrated their clothing.

Meanwhile, the screen flickered as Koenma and Botan watched tensely. The team was carried off into a side entrance to the stables by a giant stadium.

* * *

Mission finish in next chappie, reviews welcome :) (hellsteeds will be explained, too :x )

-YSendo


	17. Chapter 17

Second update in the same day, be sure you read chapter 16 .

-YSendo

Chapter 17

As Hiei regained consciousness, he noticed three things: his legs were tied up, the rope was attached to a creature, and that his teammates were in a similar predicament. The steed would be magnificent had Hiei had a better view than from the ground behind the beast. Much larger than a human horse, this creature sported powerful legs that supported an even more powerful torso. The mane and tail were unruly and knotted. Hiei glanced at the head of the beast as it leaned over to huff at the matching steed beside it. The face was lean and long and the veins seemed to glow. The hooves were aflame with demon energy and every impatient stomp would cause sparks. The harness around the steed's middle looked durable.

Hiei glanced to the side, seeing Yusuke and Kuwabara struggling to break the rope they were tied with while Kurama probed at the knot, hoping to unravel it. Lei was missing.

Instinctively, Hiei grasped his hip, stunned to feel his sword still attached. A sharp whistle grabbed the team's attention.

"Patrons!" They didn't recognize the voice, "A race the like of which this stadium has not seen in decades is taking place tonight! Come, take your seats, and enjoy the violence!"

Kuwabara gulped loudly, "Guys? I have a bad feeling about this…"

The announcer started a countdown from 5 with the audience joining in. The team didn't have time. Hiei unsheathed his sword and gauged the distance between him and Yusuke, the one farthest from him. With a quick decision, made at an echoing 'two', Hiei sliced at the ropes, instantly freeing Yusuke, Kurama and Kuwabara in one swing. He quickly pulled himself up to slice at his own bindings when the steed took off, thrusting Hiei back against the ground, making him lose his grip on the sword and be dragged off on the track littered with glass, gravel and dirt.

* * *

The crowd roared in approval when Hiei cried out, more in surprise than pain, drowning out the cries of his teammates. It was after the first lap, when the horses nearly ran the team over, the one steed still dragging along their reluctant friend, who by now was yelling out curses (some even directed at them), that the trio was brought back to their senses. Yusuke brought his hands together for his spirit gun, reving it up, only to be stopped by Kurama. "You could hit Hiei."

"Trust me! I know how to aim."

Kurama was adamant, even putting his hand on Yusuke's arm to stop him, "Wait until they are on the opposite side."

Yusuke nodded and closed one eye, while squinting the other, to aim. He zeroed in on the rope and gathered his spirit energy. Kurama interrupted again, "He's a moving target, aim ahead."

Kuwabara was on his feet in the background yelling at them to hurry up so they could leave. Koenma urged them on from his office, even though they couldn't possibly hear him, while Botan stared at the screen in shock, with tears in her eyes.

Yusuke closed his eyes as the steeds passed by again. Hiei managed to ground out, through the gasps of pain, "You bastards!"

Yusuke took aim again as Hiei was bounced and dragged along the other side of the stadium. At yet another unwanted tip from Kurama, Yusuke finally snapped. "Shut up!" He took quick aim and fired, succeeding in breaking the rope. Hiei laid on his back as the horse galloped ahead. The team ran over to him, while Kuwabara stopped to yell at the crowd which was hurling insults at them, "Hey! You'd all better leave before I come up there and let you have it!"

Yusuke and Kurama kneeled down on either side of Hiei, who didn't respond at first. After some tense seconds, he moved and in that one movement, socked Yusuke in the eye with his fist. Yusuke sprang to his feet, "What was that for man?! Kurama was the one stopping me!"

Hiei was on his feet, ignoring his shaking knees, with blood flowing freely from his back, but that didn't stop him from throwing his weight into a punch aimed at Kurama's pretty face. Kuwabara came up and caught Hiei before he hit the ground. He looked at Yusuke and Kurama, who were both holding their faces awkwardly, and laughed. When he moved Hiei to his back, as he was accustomed to doing now-a-days, he heard the munchkin growl out, "Sadly enough, right now, I like you more."

A portal appeared near them and they passed through. Yusuke, being last, turned and gave the crowd the finger and a promise to kill them for their cruelty.

* * *

While Kurama and Yusuke went to Koenma's office to report and inquire about Lei's disappearance, Kuwabara turned to take Hiei someplace he could get some medical attention. Kuwabara was heading for Genkai's temple, knowing that Yukina would not hesitate to cure any of them. But Hiei spoke quietly as he realized what route they were taking, "I would be too much of a bother to Yukina."

"Yukina would not think so," Kuwabara said with great insight, somewhat angry that his love likes Hiei's company as much as she does.

Hiei persisted, "She will worry."

"Hey, listen up, Shrimp!" Kuwabara yelled over his shoulder, stopping for a moment, "Someone's gonna worry no matter what. You look horrible."

Hiei was pale and could barely open his eyes, but Kuwabara felt his odd heartbeat and steady (if shallow) breathing against his back. Hiei wouldn't die, but the wounds had to be treated, or at least cleaned.

When Kuwabara tried to resume walking, Hiei spouted off another ludicrous excuse, and this time, Kuwabara turned towards a farther goal, the training dojo. Though he couldn't understand why anyone would refuse the healing hands of his one true love, he saw that Hiei did not want to visit her. _Doesn't want to worry her, my ass_, he thought as he stomped down the other trail.

Hiei relaxed when Kuwabara suddenly turned in another direction. Last thing he wanted was to worry his sister. He knew that the cuts on his back would scare her, and that might make her shed tears for him, the last thing he wanted.

Hiei would let her heal him later, when his back didn't look like it went through a shredder.

* * *

Kuwabara felt Hiei start to struggle as they neared Yuumei's current place of residence. And when they heard her yell out her irritation at the weak, pesky demons residing in the forest, Hiei struggled even more. By now Kuwabara had had enough of the small demon's odd antics and he dropped him on the forest floor, with an angry "What's the big idea?!" A loud yelp tore itself past Hiei's lips as his back hit a jutting root. Yuumei's yelling suddenly stopped.

Hiei scrambled to his feet, determined to look capable as Yuumei appeared from between some trees. Kuwabara turned at her approach and hastily explained what happened.

With a concerned glance at Hiei, who paled even more as he felt more blood drip from his back, she instructed Kuwabara to take Hiei to the bathhouse while she went inside for a moment.

Kuwabara sat Hiei down on the edge of the tub and turned on the water, as Yuumei instructed. Yuumei rushed in with a good handful of bandages, but that's not what drew their stares. She was wearing a two piece swimsuit, a simple red thing with a few large flowers here and there. She started to pull at Hiei's shirt, but let go when he hissed at her. "Do it yourself then." He glared at her comment and removed the garment with a bit more care.

She stopped the water and made Hiei get in, pants and all, and sit on his ankles, so the water stopped at his waist. From behind him, she winced at the cuts, but took a cloth and started to move it carefully over his back, brushing the chunks of rock, dirt, and glass away with her fingers. To Kuwabara, she said, "Now, one more time, tell me everything."

Kuwabara started by explaining the mission: a simple reconnaissance to see if a rumor was true. If it was true, then Spirit World would have a serious problem. But they never found out the truth, because Yusuke's sneeze alerted the guards. Yuumei asked about the rumor, but was interrupted when Hiei practically yelled at her, "Watch what you're doing woman!"

Yuumei apologized quickly and stopped picking at a stubborn piece of glass, opting to move lower. Kuwabara frowned, his eyes serious. "Some punk found out how to make a cannon. It shoots bad stuff."

Yuumei raised a brow. Hiei scoffed, wincing as it aggravated his back, "You fool, do you ever listen?"

"Hey, just because you're hurt doesn't mean I won't hurt you!"

"As if you could."

"Stop it," Yuumei interrupted, "both of you. What is it about?"

Hiei's face was blank as he explained. "The Spirit World brat believes some rumor that someone managed to harness the darkness flame into a technological weapon. Non-sense."

"Wait," Yuumei's hands paused their movements, "You mean to tell me that there is a _gun_ that can shoot _the darkness technique!_"

* * *

What?! -YSendo


	18. Chapter 18

More of an explaining chapter. I will update with more action soon.

-YSendo

Chapter 18

"Well, it's more of a cannon," Kuwabara pointed out. Yuumei looked at him dryly.

Hiei closed his eyes and straightened his back a little as he spat out, "She knows that you idiot."

"Who you calling an idiot, Shrimp?!"

"You, fool." Hiei tried to flew back a little to loosen his spine as Yuumei got back to clearing off debris.

"I should beat your little-!" Kuwabara went silent as Hiei's eyes slid shut and he collapsed against Yuumei, catching her off guard. Yuumei grabbed for the demon and held him up by the shoulders so he didn't fall in the water and drown. Kuwabara became serious and sighed. "Guess the little guy lost too much blood."

Yuumei nodded and gently maneuvered Hiei so that his right side was leaning against her, his head propped up on her collarbone. She ran the cloth over his back one last time before deciding to tackle the stubborn pieces of glass and rock that dug under his skin. Kuwabara cringed; he looked to the door anxiously. "He gonna be all right?"

Yuumei watched him, it was apparent that he wanted to leave. "You can go, I'll take care of him."

"You'd better," Kuwabara mumbled, then he realized it sounded like a threat and spat out, "because he would have my head if I left him alone and all."

Yuumei couldn't help a smile at Kuwabara's panic. "I promise."

Kuwabara got to his feet and left. He left the door open and took out his communicator. "Urameshi!"

"_How's Three-Eyes?"_

"Fine, Yuumei's helping him."

"_Huh. Our little friend showed up."_

"Lei, that little!" Kuwabara took a deep breath, "I'll be there soon."

He looked back into the bathhouse and caught Yuumei staring at him with a thoughtful look. She noticed his stare and quickly diverted hers to Hiei, lying vulnerable in her arms. She mumbled, "Just go."

Once Kuwabara left, Yuumei moved Hiei a little higher and turned him fully towards her, propping his chin on her shoulder. She drapped her hands around him, feeling his back for leftover shards. Feeling his back was clean, she looked down at him.

He looked so innocent lying there, his muscles lax, the tension around him gone. She smiled. _At least he has some peace_, she thought. For a moment, as her arms loosely surrounded him, she let herself simply hold him. Yuumei lowered her head to rest on his. She smiled as his hair tickled her nose.

Her smile faded as her thoughts turned to wonder about the mission, and the rumor. She read enough about the darkness technique, and watched enough clips of Hiei using the dragon, to know that the sheer power was devastating.

Yuumei realized the water turned cold and shook herself out of her stupor and grabbed the bandages.

* * *

Kuwabara arrived in Koenma's office to see Lei sitting demurely on the opposite side of the desk. Her stare was blank and confused. On the desk in front of her, there was a set of blueprints. Kurama stood on the left of the table, his hands folded behind his back, leaning over the plans, while Yusuke stood at the right, his hands braced on the edge of the desk. He was glaring at Lei. Kuwabara went up and examined the papers. Koenma explained, while chewing nervously on his pacifier, "It's as I feared. Someone is building a weapon using the darkness flame."

Kurama looked up, "It all seems very complex."

"Yeah," Yusuke put in, "maybe this prick wont be able to build it."

Lei sighed. "It's possible."

Everyone looked at her. She didn't open her eyes. "The materials will be hard to get, but, theoretically, it should work."

Kuwabara narrowed his eyes at her. "Just where were you anyway."

Lei met his gaze defiantly. "When I regained consciousness, I saw you guys were starting to come to. I cut myself loose, and went to escape."

"You left us tied up!" Yusuke practically yelled.

Lei looked at everyone dryly. "You are all seasoned fighters; I assumed you could get yourselves loose."

No one could really argue with that logic. Lei continued, "On the way out, I overheard a suspicious conversation. They mentioned they got a set of blueprints in a mysterious envelope. I detoured to follow the two guards and swiped these," she motioned at the blueprints, "before I left."

She looked at everyone again, then noticed something. "Where is Hiei?"

Yusuke growled out, "Getting some medical attention. He saved our asses, but didn't manage to save himself."

Lei looked at her lap, ashamed. While she didn't give a damn about the humans, she really wanted Hiei's attention. "He should have saved himself."

"No," Koenma said plainly, "you owe him an apology and your gratitude; had he not cut them loose, I could easily press charges against the two of you. And while everyone has a sort of fondness for Hiei in this office, I can't say the same for you."

Lei sighed again.

* * *

When the three guys arrived at the training dojo, Yuumei was cleaning away the blood from the bathhouse. "How is our friend?" Kurama asked with a smile.

"Grumpy as ever," Yuumei replied without missing a beat. She dried her hands and went to the main building. On the way to the kitchen, she motioned at the hallway, "He's in his room. Don't touch his back."

Hiei glared at them from his bed. He was lying on his stomach, his arms folded and resting under his chin. He turned his head a little and laid his cheek on them.

Kurama answered the silent question, "They were right."

Hiei closed his eyes and scoffed. "Impossible."

"Just how are you so sure of that?" Yusuke popped in, while leaning against a wall.

Hiei tried to lift himself up, but Yuumei, who just entered with a tray of snacks stopped him with an 'uh-uh.'

He laid back down. Everyone shared an amused glance. Hiei explained, "The darkness technique doesn't just require energy."

Kurama looked thoughtful. _He had to sacrifice his arm to summon it_, he realized. Lei rushed in the door. Apparently, Koenma was done lecturing her. "Is he okay? Oh, Hiei…"

She crept to his side, and lowered her head. "I wish to apologize; I acted rashly without thought to the team."

"Hn."

The next morning, Yuumei was drinking coffee while the Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama were munching own breakfast. Suddenly, Hiei passed by quickly, grabbing Yuumei by the upper arm and dragging her along. Yuumei bit her tongue and glared.

When Hiei released her next to the boulder, she feigned calm, "You had better have a reason for being out of bed."

"I need to train."

Yuumei glared, Hiei looked at her and sighed. "The other woman."

"Yes," Yuumei said with a slight smile as she sat down on the rock, "that might do it."

Hiei went through the motions much slower than usual, being mindful of his injury. Due to that, Yuumei could point out openings that his speed would normally cover. Hiei nodded at her advice, but didn't follow it. Yuumei sighed, he just won't change.

When Lei wandered out an hour later, Yuumei was relaxing back on the rock, not watching Hiei, who was cautiously testing his limits. Lei smiled at Hiei and offered to train with him. Hiei glanced at her and nodded.

It was the sounds of actual fighting that broke Yuumei out of her reverie. She looked on to see Hiei and Lei fighting with their fists, sometimes vanishing in a burst of speed. Lei was almost just as fast as Hiei, but she lacked his endurance and got tired quicker. Yuumei sighed forlornly and grabbed Hiei's sword and the sheath, which laid forgotten on the edge of the clearing. She entered the house and smiled at Kurama, who looked at her, concerned. She only said, "Don't stop their fun," before retreating to her room.


	19. Chapter 19

Oh, I was so excited to write this. Caution, some 'graphic' details. Should be okay though. Hope you love it

-YSendo

Chapter 19

The next day, Yuumei was out on the boulder again, drinking her coffee, watching Hiei train on his own. He still moved slower than normal, but didn't seem in pain. After an hour, she heard him stop. Her eyes closed, she asked, "Tired already?"

"Hn." The voice was too close. She opened her eyes and jumped a little when she realized he was standing not a foot from the boulder, from her. He looked down at himself, still not wearing a shirt. "Take these off."

"I certain you can unwrap yourself," Yuumei said, setting aside the mug and crossing her arms.

"It will be easier for you," Hiei said plainly, his face blank. Yuumei looked away and gently reached for the bandage wrapping his entire torso. Her face set, she was determined to not let it show how much she wanted to brush her hands over his shoulders. When the bandage caught on his back, she told him to turn around.

He did, and shocked her further by leaning back on the edge of the boulder, taking his weight off his legs. He lowered his head a little and closed his eyes.

Hiei felt her gently tugging the bandage away from the scabs that it got stuck to. He estimated it would be a week before there would be no mark of his misfortune. He let himself enjoy the silence around him. Soon, the fools will wake up and he'll be stuck training with the girl again.

While she proved to be more entertaining than his teammates, she was still too weak. Then again, she was fast and could offer him some much needed experience with quick demons. As Yuumei pointed out once, he relied too much on his speed.

Hiei scoffed. _Since when do I listen to her advice_, he wondered to himself.

Yuumei looked at his back when she was finished. _So painful_, she thought. With a compassionate look at the back of his head, she laid her hands on his shoulders. His jump let her know that he wasn't expecting that. "What-?!"

"Relax," she instructed as she kneaded his shoulders and neck. Hiei didn't reply, but he didn't pull away. After a few minutes, she felt him relax under her fingers. "You going to train with Lei again?" Yuumei asked.

"Hn."

Yuumei laughed and shoved at his shoulders a little, "Okay, break's over. Go train."

Hiei smirked and resumed his daily exercises, testing his flexibility.

* * *

For a week, they all trained. Yuumei started to leave the boulder once Lei joined Hiei and would go preach to Yusuke and Kuwabara. If Hiei noticed her absence, he didn't show it.

With each passing day, Lei would get bolder in her flirting, but Hiei ignored all of them. Still, Yuumei would sigh when she caught the demon girl brushing up against him 'accidentally' or throwing him compliments at the slightest thing. She took some pleasure in the fact that Lei would always leave stop training with a few good-sized bruises, though.

* * *

On Friday, Koenma contacted the boys and called them to his office.

On the screen, there was a bird's eye view of, what appeared to be, a deserted town. Koenma paced, in his teenage form, in front of the screen. "This," he motioned at the picture, "is the town Brackenwell."

He went to sit behind his desk. "Reports have come in of suspicious-looking cargo arriving there and never being seen again. We think this is our prototype."

Kurama was gazing intently at the screen. "It looks simply abandoned."

"As opposed to what?" Yusuke asked, agitated. This call came in the middle of a date with Keiko, one that she will not be happy about being ruined.

Hiei glared at the detective. "He means the place doesn't look ransacked." He paused and looked at the other human, "What the hell is wrong with you."

Kuwabara was trembling, looking at the town. "I'm getting a bad feeling."

Koenma chewed on his pacifier, "Of course you would; the townspeople just suddenly disappeared."

"No," Kuwabara shook his head firmly, "something bad happened."

Koenma sighed, "Do I need to repeat myself?"

"So it seems," Hiei threw in.

Kuwabara fisted his hands at his sides. "Some of them are still dying."

Everyone looked at him, silent. There simply was no counter for that statement. It was said with deadly certainty. After a few minutes, Lei spoke up. "The quicker we go, the quicker we can leave."

Everyone nodded and followed her out. Yuumei again remained. Koenma turned to her, "You need to look through your tomes. See if there's a way to counter this."

She nodded absently and gazed at the blueprints still sitting on the desk thoughtfully. Koenma noticed her gaze. "Yeah, that's it. Lei delivered those a good five minutes before the boys came in."

Yuumei looked up at him confused. Having been told the girl's story by Kurama, and the boys' story by Kuwabara, she found it very odd that the demon could find those plans so quickly.

When Koenma summoned up a portal to her house, Yuumei asked only one question, "Why are there two different pen marks on them?"

Koenma sighed, looking at the plans as though they will grow a mouth and tell him their secrets, "I just don't know."

* * *

When they arrived at the abandoned town, the five felt a chill pass them. Kuwabara was right, something terrible happened there. Lei looked around nervously and pulled out the copy of the plans that Koenma gave them. "Okay, so we need to look for something like…this," she pointed out some essential parts to the boys. Hiei stood off to the side, not really caring what the damn thing looked like, instead trying to find some sort of energy source with his Jagan.

The gang decided to split up, but Hiei wasn't listening; a faint giggling caught his attention. He glanced around to see if the others heard it, but they were walking off in different directions, unaware. He was about to cross it off as his imagination when he heard the giggling become louder.

* * *

He followed the sound to a small building that looked like a shed at the very edge of town. Sliding the door, Hiei winced at the screech it made against the rotting wooden floor. He walked into the shed, looking around the walls and into the darkened corners. He was about to take another step forward when he felt that his foot wasn't making contact with anything. Glancing down, he stumbled a step back. Thanks to the light flooding in from the doorway, he saw a gaping hole in the center of the room. It was a good yard wide and as his eyes adjusted a little bit, Hiei could make out a wooden ladder that has seen better days propped against the side. Leaning over the hole, he could see a light a good four stories beneath him. He heard another giggle and sensed that it came from below. Gingerly, he grabbed a hold of the ladder and started to climb slowly down, more worried of the ladder breaking than of whatever may be down there. Dark, damp underground caverns make a perfect home for demons and wild beasts.

With ten feet to go, Hiei felt the rung under his foot snap and he tumbled down, managing to land on his feet on the ground. Another giggle. He turned to the right and his eyes widened at the sight.

Lit by sparse lamps, the tunnel was enormous, long and very round. It simply couldn't have formed naturally. A little ways into the tunnel, the ceiling seems to have caved in, blocking off a good portion of the tunnel. What shocked Hiei was the presence of many bodies, sticking out from the debris.

_It seems this is what happened to the residents_, he thought grimly, walking up to the pile of rock and dirt and bodies. Among them were the old, the sick, the young, the healthy. Possibly every villager was, for whatever reason, standing right there when the rock gave way.

Hiei could almost imagine it, the scream of the first person who noticed, the ensuing panic. Those too old and too weak couldn't run; and some of those who could simply wouldn't allow their grandparents, infants, and their pregnant wives to die.

As he made his way over the left side of the tunnel, where the debris was less, Hiei could see that their panicked cries echoed in the gloom, causing more dirt to fall, suffocating some of them. Others bled to death from a gash caused by the sharp edges; others still might have starved as a stone fell on their limbs, pinning them in place without hope.

Hiei shook his head and heard the giggle, it was past the rubble. On the other side, where he had a full view of the rest of the tunnel, he paused and looked at the odd, white contraption at the end of the long tunnel. _It can't be_, he thought.

As he drew closer, almost at a jog, he realized that the device was, indeed, a prototype cannon. He could still sense the energy it contained. The giggling reached in again and he froze, realizing that it was coming from _inside_ the thing.

* * *

Cautiously, as to not activate the cannon (not that he knew how), he peered inside. At the very back, there sat a blank glass ball against one side with a large, jagged crack running down the length of it. Closer to Hiei, around the bore, behind the muzzle, there were three glowing, green bands. The energy he sensed was coming from those. Hiei was examining the bands when he felt, rather than heard, Yusuke yell out in frustration. He straightened and looked around warily as the ground around him shook as his teammate punched the ground in agitation.

As the tremor passed, and Hiei still watched the ceiling with a watchful eye, a noise came from behind him, turning, he saw the cannon fall apart from the vibrations. It seems the thing was barely holding together; whether it was from the cave-in, or a blast, Hiei couldn't tell. The long barrel of the cannon fell apart onto eight large pieces, while the three bands Hiei noticed fell into quarters.

Another tremor shook the earth, but this one was more violent, making Hiei whir around and take a cautious step backwards. He heard a crunch under his foot and realized he stepped onto the brightest piece of the green bands. He heard the giggle again and watched, mesmerized, as a wisp formed and floated up to him.

As it reached his height, the wisp formed into a small girl, no older than seven, floating, transparent in the air. She gently brushed a hand through his hair and pressed her small lips to his.

Hiei felt his hair stand on ends, and felt the chill that encased him. A brilliant gold light flashed at the touch of her lips to his, and faded as quickly as it came. The girl giggled again, became a wisp, and floated slowly, swinging back and forth, up and through the ground. To Spirit World.

* * *

A bit of the ceiling crumbled and some dirt landed on Hiei's nose, knocking him out of shock. He glanced at the ceiling and turned to leave when he saw his teammates scrambling through the rubble of the cave-in.

"Are you all right?" Kurama asked, looking Hiei over. He looked a little pale and shaken up, but otherwise fine. Yusuke was bracing himself on his knees to catch his breath, "Yeah, we felt a wave of energy. We thought you were in trouble."

Lei was staring at the destroyed cannon, her mouth hanging open a little, too shocked to question Hiei. When no response came from the idiot, not even an insult, everyone turned back to him. They noticed his horrified and sick expression, and then they took in the cave-in. Their shocked and angry responses sent another tremor through the fragile tunnel. This time, Hiei sensed a massive shift in the earth. "Out!"

The boys turned to leave and ran, but Kurama suddenly stopped and looked back at Lei, who was still staring at the cannon. He ran back, dodging large pieces of rock and grabbed her hand, practically dragging her out. Hiei was the first to reach the ladder and jumped up, catching on to the ladder two stories above the floor, Yusuke and Kuwabara grabbed on lower, being unable to jump quite so high. Kurama grabbed on to the ladder, yelling to the girl, hoping to get her attention, when a flood of dirt swept over him and blocked him from the team's view. "Kurama!" Hiei yelled, angry that his friend might have lost his life for the girl.

Kuwabara and Yusuke jumped down, and started digging through the dirt at the bas of the ladder, hoping to find a sign of his body. After several minutes, Hiei joined them, at first digging desperately, then punching away the sand. Yusuke grabbed his shoulder and shook his head. The trio climbed the ladder silently.

* * *

Once they left the shed, the red-head was sitting on the edge of a broken down well, this legs crossed and his fingers laced together. Next to him, propped against the well, was Lei's unconscious body. He smiled at their dumb-struck faces.

Yusuke's mouth was wide open as he pointed to the fox, then back to the ladder, then back to the fox, before grabbing his head and breaking out into maniacal laughter. Kuwabara looked as though his brain just short-circuited. Hiei growled, and yelled at the fox, concealing his relief, "You little, conniving bastard!"

Kurama looked a bit beat up, decorated with bruises from rocks, rips from sharp edges, and a nasty-looking little gash over his eye, but was alive and breathing. "I think," he said around a wince as he got to his feet, "that we should probably go back."

"Hn," Hiei grunted with a smirk, then scowled as the detective beside him howled with laughter again. He stomped on the human's foot.

"Ow!" Yusuke got back to his senses, "What the hell did I do to you!"

"You are annoying and were screaming like a woman."

Kurama said loudly, "Kuwabara?"

The large boy shook his head to clear his brain, "Yeah?"

"Could you please carry her? I don't know if I can."

"Yeah, yeah."

They all shuffled to the portal Koenma kept open for them. Hiei came up next to Kurama and scoffed. As Kurama looked at him innocently, Hiei bit back his initial comment (something about being glad he was alive), and instead said, "She wasn't worth it."

Kurama looked ahead and replied sagely, "Somehow, I get the feeling that if that was a certain other woman," he sneaked a glance at Hiei, "you would be singing a different tune."

_Singing?_ Hiei sighed. That fox must have hit his head. _I wasn't singing anything._

* * *

Let me know what you think, it was a lot of fun to write :) -YSendo


	20. Chapter 20

Sorry for such a long wait; I had to rewrite this several times to get it to sound the way I wanted to. Still not sure if I like it.

-YSendo

Chapter 20

Yuumei rushed in the temple door, startling Yukina. In her hand, she clutched a couple of pages with notes written in elegant handwriting. Glancing around, she gasped out, "Where is everyone?"

Yukina looked her over, concerned, "They left about ten minutes ago."

Yuumei cursed under her breath. She patted the doorframe and excused herself, practically flying down the stairs. Yukina rushed to the door and winced as Yuumei stumbled down a few of the steps but caught herself.

At the bottom of the steps, Yuumei paused and looked down at her wrist. While she needed Hiei to verify her information, she was hoping to catch the group together so she didn't have to explain several times. The compass shifted a little to the west, but Yuumei didn't register it.

* * *

When she contacted Botan earlier to ask about the team's whereabouts, the ferry girl was hesitant to answer. She said that the boys were acting very odd, especially Hiei. When Yuumei tried to contact everyone individually after that, she got no response from Yusuke, Kuwabara, or Hiei. Kurama answered, but it was obvious he didn't want to talk about the mission at all. Sighing, Yuumei let her wrist drop. She had a feeling that Hiei would not appreciate her company right now; with Lei in the medical unit, he has some peace and quiet.

_It's not like I need him,_ she thought to herself. She could cross-reference her information. She could report her findings to Koenma and leave it to him to tell everyone. That's what she should do. She should just leave Hiei alone. He probably doesn't want her attention anyway.

She squared her shoulders and turned to the west. _I don't need him…but I want him._

* * *

When her compass suddenly changed direction, Yuumei wasn't suspicious, she simply turned and headed north. It was only an hour later, when she ran out of the trees to find herself on a cliff overlooking a large lake that she realized something was wrong. She looked at her compass and noticed it was pointing out over the lake. Then, before her eyes, the needle went limp.

A stab of panic hit her. Did that mean Hiei was…? She couldn't even think of it. Closing her eyes, she willed herself to calm down. _It was probably a malfunction._ She sat down on the cliff and looked out over the lake. The view was beautiful; the trees reflecting off the surface of the water, the clutter of the city far behind her, the noise was muffled and distant. Any other day, Yuumei would enjoy the scene, but not today. As she wrapped her arms around her upraised knees, she lost herself in thought. Without the compass, Yuumei had no chance of finding Hiei on her own: whether he was injured or not. Might as well sit there and think.

Kurama was able to sweet-talk the nurses into releasing him from the hospital without staying for overnight observation. Figuring it would be a bad idea to go home wrapped in bandages, he started towards the beach' he needed to just relax and enjoy some serenity. He sensed Hiei's energy a little bit off the path and smiled.

Hiei was standing on a branch, covering his jagan when the fox appeared from the shadows. Kurama sat on the branch next to his friend and looked over at the cliff. "How did you manage to fool the compass?"

"I didn't."

Kurama looked at him and saw Hiei's smirk as the jagan flashed from under its wraps. "I see. You tricked Yuumei."

"Hn." Hiei watched the girl sigh and bury her head in her arms. He couldn't explain what he felt, except that the feeling was powerful and driving him to stay there, on that branch, and watch her. He knew the fox was watching him curiously.

Hiei and Kurama stayed there until Yuumei at last got to her feet, brushed the dirt off her pants, and walked back to the path she saw on the way there. Her head was hung in thought, but Hiei didn't dare read her mind now. He knew she came out here to find him. _Hn, naïve woman,_ he scowled.

Kurama dropped down to the ground when he was confident that Yuumei wouldn't notice him. He asked, as Hiei remained in the tree, watching the sunset, "Why did you lead her out here?"

Hiei only glanced at his friend before looking back at the sun. "Sometimes," he said after a pause, his red eyes narrowed, "We all need to be alone."

* * *

Yuumei was dressed for bed in a white cotton nightgown, looking over a book when there was a knock at the door. She looked at the door confused. _Who would come at this hour?_

She was surprised when she opened the door to find Hiei standing there, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. Yuumei stepped aside and beckoned him in quickly. Hiei looked at the windowsill, but didn't move beside stepping inside. He nodded at Yuumei's offer of a drink. When she came back with some water, Yuumei paused to take him in.

Hiei was curiously looking over her apartment. There were several overflowing bookcases covering the far wall. In the middle of the room there was a large TV, a coffee table, and a firm-looking sofa. He glanced at the windowsill and seemed to frown at how narrow it was.

He seemed startled when Yuumei pressed the glass into his hand. He looked at her encouraging smile and started towards the window. Yuumei, meanwhile, curled up on the sofa and set her drink down on the coffee table. "How do you know where I live?"

Hiei countered her question with his own, "Why did you look for me?"

Yuumei looked down at the papers scattered on the table thoughtfully. She closed her eyes and sighed. "No reason."

Hiei looked out the window, thinking. Yuumei watched him covertly through half-lidded eyes. He really was stunning. Even now, his mesmerizing eyes would shift a little when they noticed some minute motion in the trees. How could she deny her reaction to when those eyes would stare straight at her from behind his dark bangs? _Thank god I'm not that interesting.._ she thought. If those eyes were to stay on her for more than a minute, Yuumei is sure that her heart would explode at the rate it'd be going.

Yuumei got up, and walked towards him, stopping not a foot away. Still, he didn't look at her. "Hiei…"

He looked up at her, turning his head towards her. He didn't know what possessed him to _not_ question her as she leaned over him, one arm braced on the frame above his head. "Hn?" He mentally frowned at his own voice, it seemed very distracted.

Yuumei smiled at him, barely giving herself the chance to think through what she was doing. She vaguely registered Hiei's eyes roaming her face for some clue as to her thoughts. She felt him probe into her head, but it stopped suddenly when her lips connected to his.

Hiei didn't move. He couldn't. Heck, he could barely breathe, and when he did, he was overwhelmed by her scent. Hiei didn't respond to the innocent kiss. To the feeling of her lips on his. Instead, he shut his eyes and held himself perfectly still, willing away the feeling coursing through him, yet unable to pull away.

Yuumei felt his reluctance, but greedily enjoyed the sensation for a few more seconds before pulling away. Still leaning over him, she whispered, "Don't ever change." Then she pulled away, excused herself and retreated to the kitchen.

Hiei was still too shocked to respond. Carefully, unsure of himself, he looked outside the window at the rain that started to fall outside. He knew he should leave, but his curiosity surpassed his trepidation.

When she got to the kitchen, Yuumei's brain seemed to kick in. She closed her eyes and fell back against the counter with a groan. _Why did I do that?_

Yuumei was not one to live in denial. She knew she was falling for the fire demon's determination and strength. That didn't mean she couldn't control herself. She didn't want to impose her feelings on the demon; she was afraid of his reaction. _Well, he's probably gone anyway._

_"No." _whispered through her head, making her freeze. She whipped around to see Hiei in the door. He wasn't looking at her as he muttered, in her head. _"It's raining."_

Yuumei looked outside, praying that her heart would slow down to a normal rhythm. Hiei sneaked a glance at her; she seemed to be deliberating something. She turned to him with a smile, pushing aside her doubts and worries, "You can spend the night, if you want."

Hiei looked at her with wide eyes. Yuumei blushed and looked away, "The couch is pretty comfy."

* * *

Let me know what you think; you can PM me if you have any ideas. -YSendo


	21. Chapter 21

Update.

-YSendo

Chapter 21

It suddenly felt awkward to be around Hiei, Yuumei despaired. He was sitting on the very edge of the couch, his back straight, his arms and legs crossed, watching her sharply. He didn't seem to want to take his stunning eyes off her for a second, and it wasn't because he was bewitched. No, he seemed to be analyzing her every action carefully: from bringing him a pillow and blanket to closing the blinds to block out the streetlights. _What is he looking for?_ Yuumei thought in frustration, _The answer to the meaning of life?_

After she retreated to her room, Hiei allowed himself lie back on the pillow, his hands folded behind his head and his legs crossed at the ankles. He completely disregarded the blanket. The gentle sound of flowing water rocked him to sleep.

Yuumei couldn't sleep. She was tossing and turning for the past hour and while her body wanted rest, her mind was working overtime. She simply couldn't get it out of her head that she actually kissed Hiei. He didn't seem to mind really, but still…After another half hour, Yuumei got up exasperated. She paced her room a few times before approaching her bedroom door. _A glass of milk might help_, she hoped.

But she didn't dare go out into the living room. A simple glance from Hiei, who was a light sleeper, would unsettle her nerves even further. _Besides_, she figured as she returned to the bed and turned towards the wall, _I won't give him the satisfaction of knowing he makes me nervous._

Hiei awoke to the clattering of glass and metal from the kitchen, but he didn't move or open his eyes, or give any indication he was conscious. The racket stopped and he sensed Yuumei approaching. By the time she was in view of the couch, Hiei was sitting up on the side of the couch, much like he did the evening before. Yuumei took the other end of the couch, her familiar mug in her hands. She looked at Hiei, thinking of how to start a conversation, but decided against talking. Instead she just watched him; in her fatigue, Yuumei's vision seemed to dull and, to Hiei, her eyes looked glossy. He knew she was not all there, and after five minutes, it was starting to unnerve him. He spat out at last, "What do you want?"

Yuumei blinked but besides turning to look forward, didn't react. Hiei fidgeted, unused to such…inactivity from the woman. "Keep that up and I'll cut your eyes out."

_Bad thing to say_, Hiei realized as Yuumei physically sank into herself. She lowered her head and a portion of her hair fell to cover her profile from his view. Hiei bit his cheek. He expected a more vibrant reaction. The girl possessed an untold amount of sarcasm when it came to his threats. Now, she was acting like some scolded child.

"Hn."

Nothing. No reaction. Hiei looked at her and felt a pang of guilt; almost as bad as when he made his sister cry. His body seemed to act on it's own, slowly extending his arm to touch her shoulder. He wasn't sure exactly what he would do once he touched her, but Hiei remembered the way he saw Kurama comfort his mother, how he held her. And though Hiei would rather kill himself than break down and show such weakness, he was powerless to stop it. His hand was halfway there when his pocket beeped loudly in the silence. That seemed to shock Yuumei to attention. She stifled a yawn and rubbed her eyes.

Unwilling to be caught in a compromising position, Hiei lowered his hand quickly to his pocket, extracting the communicator.

* * *

Koenma met everyone outside Genkai's temple, beside the steps. Even the girls tagged along. Koenma sighed in relief when he noted how many showed up; his office would have been quite cramped and uncomfortable. Yusuke and Kuwabara were clowning around a little ways away making Botan and Keiko glare at their rudeness. Hiei took to leaning against one of the posts of the entrance with the recently healed Kurama and Lei lounging on either side of him, though Lei sat a little ways farther than Kurama. Yuumei stood next to Koenma and Botan, who called her there to explain the information she was asked to find out. Yukina, Keiko, and Shizuru were sitting on the wooden steps of the porch.

Yuumei was forced to practically summarize what the team already knew. Kuwabara started getting impatient and asked, "What happened in that place?"

Having been briefed about the situation by Koenma, Yuumei seemed to hesiatate. "I think," she started, "that I should explain from the beginning.

"This cannon wasn't made to fire off the darkness flame. It was modified."

Lei threw in a "Poorly." Yuumei glared at her then settled her eyes on Hiei, silently telling him to watch the demon girl.

"It was given to the hellsteed racer for financial support since the materials were hard to obtain. Unfortunately, the builder was already given sufficient amount of money to build his prototype, the thing you found in that tunnel.

"He employed the townspeople to build that tunnel as an underground testing area, as to not attract attention. But there was a problem of the townspeople themselves. They knew what was happening." Yuumei raised a hand to silence Kuwabara, who most like was just going to restate his question. Kurama leaned forward with a thoughtful expression, "But that's not the reason they died."

Yuumei nodded, "No. They died to supply the cannon."

"Supply?" Yusuke asked scratching his head, not sure if he really wanted to hear her answer.

Yuumei blinked at him. "Isn't it obvious?" At his silence, she frowned. "The darkness flame needs more than just energy. It requires sacrifice." She threw a pointed look at Hiei. "And for Hiei, that was his arm. For that town, it meant its people."

Everyone seemed to take that in when Yuumei continued. "What puzzles me is how they can obtain the essence." She smiled a little to herself, "I mean, darkness flame doesn't exactly grow on trees."

They had to leave on a three-day mission. Seems some prick of a demon got it into his head to organize a network of spies and the spirit detectives were going to show him just how much Spirit World didn't appreciate his idea. Yusuke and Kuwabara were bickering between themselves, as Kurama and Hiei followed silently. Lei went after Hiei. But as Yuumei stepped forward, Koenma frowned and said, "Stop. You can't go."

"Excuse me?" she said over her shoulder. Her flat tone alerted Hiei, who stopped to turn back, making Lei frown and turn her head as well.

Koenma fidgeted. "It's too dangerous for a non-fighter."

"I can stay out of the way," Yuumei offered.

Lei scowled. "You're human body will only be bait."

"And yet you're traveling with two humans and a reborn demon," was Yuumei's quick comeback. Hiei glanced between the two.

From up ahead, Yusuke cried out, "Come on! We'll take care of her!"

Koenma glared at the youth. "No, it's too dangerous."

"I-!" Yuumei started, but Hiei stopped her with a look. "You will remain."

Yuumei lowered her eyes to him. Hiei turned back, his tunic fluttering about him for a moment, and repeated. "Stay."

Yuumei kept her stare on the back of his head as he continued past the idiot humans and into the portal, with Lei throwing a smug smirk back at her. She sighed and Koenma and the girls adopted confused expressions. "I needed to go shopping anyway," Yuumei clarified as she turned back down the steps. Botan bounced up, "Great! We should definitely visit-."

"Alone."

* * *

Next up, why the hell is she shopping...:)


	22. Chapter 22

Oh! I loved writing this one. Enjoy :)

() -- where I seriously thought of ending it. You are lucky I'm not that mean hehe

-YSendo

Chapter 22

_Kurama's party is this weekend_, Yuumei concluded while heading down the street to a cute little shop where she knew she would find a nice party dress. Once she entered the store, she greeted the clerk with a smile. Yuumei would sometimes come in and just look at the fine dress and gowns, enjoying the feel of the fabric, even if she didn't actually buy anything. She glanced around at the selection. _Hmm, maybe something lavender._

For now, she chose to ignore her anger. There was no point to ruining a day over a command from Hiei. Especially a command that can only be perceived two ways: either Hiei doesn't want her around and practically jumped at the first chance to exclude her, or he was concerned over her safety and is simply convinced that she will go off and get herself killed. Yuumei frowned. _I know I can't fight, but I can still hide._

She shook her thoughts away and turned her gaze to some more interesting dress designs; these being in red. _Would it be a good idea to match his hair?_ Yuumei chuckled at the thought. She picked out a silk cocktail dress of a bright red and held it up to her body. From across the store, she heard, "Too red."

"You think so?" Yuumei asked as she twirled around. She sighed and set the garment back. Out of the corner of her eye, the shine of black satin caught her eyes. Pointedly ignoring it, she thought to herself, _this infatuation is getting out of hand_. The thought of black brought the thought of Hiei, which sparked Yuumei's anger anew.

Vengefully, she turned her thoughts to Kurama. _Red goes with…green!_ She laughed outright at that color; while she could pick out something to match her eyes, looking like Christmas wasn't exactly her intention. Yuumei calmed herself down and smiled.

Turning to the black garment that caught her attention, she sighed as she plucked it off the stand. The clerk's brown eyes lit up as Yuumei emerged from the dressing room. The dress she wore was made of black satin, with a silk pleated skirt that started low on her hips and stretched to half-way down her thighs. It hung on spaghetti straps and the fabric stretched over her stomach. On the back, right on the beginning of the skirt, there was a large, pressed bow of satin, the ends trailing. Yuumei smiled at her reflection, she really did like the dress, and the clerk seemed adamant in selling it.

Yuumei stopped by a shoe shop, showing the dress and letting them choose a matching pair. Meanwhile, Yuumei looked outside the window at a group of pre-teens playing around.

The three boys were talking excitedly huddled together, she could see a flicker of a lighter being lit clumsily. She watched, stone-still as the air exploded in a jet from the spray bottle they were igniting. One of the boys panicked and backed up as the flame got near him. A police officer, as well as a few men, ran up, scattered the kids and put out the residue flames from the grass and weeds. Yuumei blinked. _Wait a minute…_

Is that how demons could collect the darkness essence? They force Hiei to fire off his dragon and collect the little flames from the bodies or the destruction? _Not good._

Yuumei was shaken out of her thoughts as the clerk came up with two pairs of shoes, one high-heeled, the other low. Yuumei gestured at the low one distantly, worried more about getting a hold of the boys than shopping at the moment.

* * *

"No! Absolutely not," Koenma yelled out around his pacifier, slamming his hands on the desk and glaring at Yuumei, "I'm not going to let you just careen in there like some blundering idiot and let yourself get killed!"

"If I don't go," Yuumei spat, just as adamantly, "then more innocent people can be killed!"

"Since when have you cared?"

Botan watched the exchange from the sidelines, looking from one angry individual to the other. Only minutes ago, Yuumei rushed in demanding to go to the Demon World and warn the team of her discovery; but her request was met with an almost violent response. When Yuumei didn't defend from that comment, Botan put in, "How could you say that sir?"

Koenma turned to face her, though his eyes remained on Yuumei. "She has known of us for two decades. Two decades! Yet she never appeared before the court, _even though_ she could present evidence much better than our own prosecutors."

Yuumei glared and crossed her arms with a huff, "It's not my fault your lawyers suck."

"You took bribes from demons to not show up!" Koenma yelled out, startling Botan. Yuumei raised her head, determined to look confident. Botan said dryly, "Just how old are you?"

"42."

Koenma disregarded their aside while Botan attempted to regain her composure as her jaw dropped at the number. "No. You are not going."

Botan gripped her oar tighter and bit her lip. Yuumei has shown them no reason to doubt her integrity, and so, Botan decided, she will return the favor. She quickly swung her oar under herself and hopped on, floating but a foot off the ground. "I'll take you."

"What?" Koenma stammered. Yuumei gave her a thankful smile as she tentatively edged onto the oar herself. Koenma seemed to recover from his shock, "It's too dangerous!"

Botan frowned at him and even though she was nervous about going alone into the Demon World, she let her eyes sparkle with courage. "Listen to me, sir. Those boys are my team, my friends." The oar lifted a little, making Yuumei grab onto it tightly, "And I am not going to let them get hurt, or worse, because of _your_ doubts."

As she zipped off, Koenma sighed and sat back, taking a deep breath, before swiping his arm across the desk, scattering paper all over his office. "Dammit."

* * *

They have been walking for half a day and though they were making good progress, everyone was beginning to get on edge. For the past hour, Kuwabara and Lei were arguing over the usefulness of the human race.

To Hiei, who has been flitting from tree to tree and watching the two, the dispute was a monotone drone that probably alerted every demon within a mile of their presence. He decided he has had it up to his ears with their noise. "Hn."

Kurama and Yusuke watched Hiei vanish quite a bit ahead of them. Yusuke put his hands behind his head and looked up at the clouds. "So, what do we do once we find this guy?"

Kurama stuck his hands in his pockets and drowned out the sound of the bickering pair as he answered, "We find out what he knows, dispose of him, then head to the next target."

Yusuke glanced over at his red-headed friend, "How many we got?"

"Five."

"Jeez," Yusuke groaned before spinning on his heel, "Would you two cut it out! You're going to get us killed."

Lei bit her tongue in the middle of a nasty retort. While she didn't mean to antagonize the group (much), she simply couldn't stand by and let some human preach about his race. She told herself she would always put a human in his place, just as her father did years ago; but now, as she remembered the look on Hiei's face as he abandoned them temporarily, she wanted to cut out her own tongue.

Kuwabara huffed in annoyance and crossed his arms, determined to ignore the demon girl and give her some silent treatment. Ever since that day she told Yuumei off about demons and love, Kuwabara has been less tolerant of her presence. The uncaring remark struck a chord deep inside his soul and brought to light some of his own deepest doubts. _Yukina…_

He conjured the image of her warm smile and allowed himself to relax. Even if the ice apparition didn't know the true meaning of the words, he knew that she did love him. And a part of him kept reminding him, that day, Hiei didn't agree with her statement. He thought the shrimp would jump to the chance to take a side against him.

"Done. Let's go." Hiei's voice floated down from the trees, snapping everyone to attention. Yusuke let out an intelligent, "Huh?"

Hiei dropped down to the ground beside Kurama and started walking to the east, where their second target was located. "I disposed of him."

"Goddamn, Three-Eyes, take all my fun, will ya?" Yusuke mumbled as everyone started to follow the demon with renewed determination. While the rest of the team caught up, Hiei looked up at the clouds and frowned, sensing a very familiar aura far away. _What is the ferry girl doing?_

* * *

Botan kept apologizing over and over while Yuumei dusted herself off from their crash landing. A scratch or two, some scrapes, but nothing serious. "I'm really sorry; I just haven't been getting much sleep, and with the cannon and all. And-" Botan grabbed at her hair and shook her head wildly, "Oh, I didn't think this could happen. How could I be so-! Ow!"

Yuumei lowered her arm as Botan put a hand to her cheek. She spoke gently, "You fell asleep; nothing can be done about that. Now how far are we?" Botan decided it was a rhetorical question since Yuumei was examining her compass. "Great," the girl said. "Well, let's find some place to rest."

Botan nodded and pointed out a hollowed tree about three yards away. Nestled inside, the girls fell into a troubled sleep, unused to the 'normal' noises of the Demon World.

* * *

The team came across three of their targets all at once. Problem was, they were well protected with a relatively large and powerful escort. Their battlefield was on the edge of a large cliff falling into the troubling waters of a large, dark lake. The bottom of the cliff was surrounded by sharp, large rocks.

It was Kurama's decision to start an attack, and surprise their enemy before they could organize a retreat. Yusuke and Kuwabara were busying themselves with the good dozen of B-class demons protecting the three while Kurama and Hiei focused on the handful of higher class demons. Lei was charged with rounding up the three spies and keeping them from escaping.

The fighting was lasting longer than planned since the escort was well-trained, though the informants were running around in a panic, drastically changing direction as the demon girl would appear before them. One of them ended up mingling in with the front line and getting incinerated by his own guard.

Hiei started to unwrap his arm, mentally commanding Kurama to round everyone together when Botan burst out from the trees. He heard Yusuke and Kuwabara yell out for the girls to hide, that this was no place for women. As Hiei removed his ward from his forehead and outstretched his arm, it hit him. Wait, girl_**s**_?

His arm was pushed aside as Yuumei latched herself onto it, burning her arms in the process. Hiei called back his power even as he bellowed, furious, "What the _hell_ are you doing here?"

Yuumei pinned him with a determined look as she wrestled against his arm. "Don't use the dragon." Hiei scowled, not liking to be ordered around. He stopped her clumsy attempts to hinder him with a swift twisting of her arm behind her back before shoving her away, away not just from him, but a charge of energy that would have caused a good amount of damage to her more frail human body.

Yuumei stopped two feet from the edge of the cliff, trying to explain, through her attempts to get to her feet, just the reason why she came hurtling at Hiei. Unfortunately, Hiei's earlier yell attracted the attention of an A-class straggler who Kurama was not watching too closely. The demon smiled widely and brought his power to his hands before slamming them into the ground, cracking it.

Hiei disposed of the nearest demon and turned to yell at the brunette when a shout from Botan, perched atop her oar floating out of reach over the battle, reached his ears, "Yuumei! Watch out."

Crimson eyes met olive green as Yuumei registered the situation: the crack that spanned the width of the cliff, the sliding of earth that tore through the buzz of battle. Yuumei lost her balance as the lip of the cliff crumbled under her feet. As she fell, she felt the biting pain of the rocks before the icy sting of the water.

"Yuu-!" Hiei started as he rushed to the edge, looking down into the water, he couldn't make anything out. He glanced over his shoulder.

Lei switched targets and disposed of the demon who cracked the earth while Kurama finished rounding everyone up. Seizing the opportunity, Yusuke fired off his spirit shotgun, making Swiss cheese of the majority of their opponents.

Confident that the team could handle it, Hiei analyzed the rocks far below and dived. ()

* * *

Koenma was tidying up his papers when a particular sheet, stamped and ready to go, slid out. His eyes widened as the name registered in his mind. _Oh, no._

He rushed out, hoping to intercept the ferry girl before she could leave. Down the hall, he practically flew past the ogres in teenage form, and grabbed the hand of the pink-haired girl on her oar. He held on tight and gasped out, "I – I love you."

The girl stilled in shock.

* * *

Hiei noticed Yuumei's body floating down below and swam to her quickly. Grasping her shoulders, he gave her a hard look.

Her eyes were closed in peace as her lips were hanging slightly open; she felt much too cold, and much too limp in his arms. Hiei moved his hands up to her cheeks, supported by the weightlessness one feels in water.

He heard nothing, nothing but the whispering current of water against his ears: no heartbeat, nothing. He saw the blood gathering around them and managed to figure out just what went wrong. He felt the panic clench around his heart and tried to pump his legs up; up, to bring her to the surface, to get air. But her body suddenly became heavy, floating in that water, her hair fanning out around her, decorated by thin whips of red.

Hiei suddenly felt a calm. A calm like nothing else; the tension from his heart lifted as the truth settled into his brain as he released her, letting her hover. She was dead. Time stopped.

It felt like he was there for hours, floating in a dark abyss, agelessly, with her. Just staring at her, her skin almost glowing in its paleness. Hiei's expression melted, from one of cold observation to something softer. A relaxed curve graced his lips, not quite a smile, not quite a smirk.

He remembered the sensation, the warmth, of her lips against his and suddenly, it felt right. Just right to press himself against her, feel what warmth was left in that embrace. Feel, and memorize, exactly what he has denied himself.

He drew closer to her, grasping her cheeks in his own chilly hands. Gently, he pressed his lips against hers, his curving into a satisfied smirk.

That's when it hit him. The rush. The sensation of a flow of lava moving and converging, then scattering over his skin. His hands twitched, clenching slightly on Yuumei's face, making his hold desperate. No, some hidden instinct told him, he won't let her go. He saw it, behind closed eyelids, a shine so bright someone might confuse it with a sun, just beyond his eyes. He felt that energy, that heat that blossomed gather in his lips and willed it to do something. Achingly aware it had to do _something_.

The light vanished as soon as it came, and a tremendous silence fell. Hiei, eyes closed, lips pressed against hers, hands on her face, moved; that movement being a tilting of the head, to press against her more, desperate for this last contact.

That when he heard it. At first, it was such a deep throbbing that he thought it was a sensation, then, it became louder, steadier. And then, another sound: the higher in pitch, faster. A heartbeat.

_Move_, Hiei's muddled brain screamed at him, _Move!_

So he did, pumping his legs, pulling both their weights up, and up, until they broke the surface. Hiei grabbed onto a chipped spike of rock and pulled Yuumei between it and him. Supporting her by pressing his chest against hers, he braced his hands on the rock as to not fall under.

The first thing she felt was warmth. A heat that collected in her very most core, then shifted to scatter to the edge of her skin, then back. Then she became aware. Aware of a light overhead, a weight against her, a yell from above. "Yuumei!"

* * *

Yuumei opened her eyes and squinted. Lifting her head up, seeing Botan fly down to the water level. Then she saw his wet hair decorated with drops of water. She looked down and met his red eyes. In them, she saw relief. She wanted to say something, to smile and tease, but she felt so heavy. So tired.

Hiei trained his expression to hide his emotions, but he knew he couldn't trap everything. He glared at the woman descending on them and actually jumped a little as he felt the arms of the woman in front of him curve around his torso. His eyes widened as she seemed to fall asleep against him. But Botan caught her before she could sink again, pulling her onto the oar precariously. Hiei grabbed on and accepted the long, slow flight up, keeping a firm hand on the brunette in case she slipped.

* * *

Haha, hope you like it. Tally, made it longer for you. :)


	23. Chapter 23

No update for the next three days, I'm going to a camp. But enjoy this :)

-YSendo

Chapter 23

Once they touched down on the cliff top, Botan dismissed her oar while Hiei knelt down on one knee, deftly supporting Yuumei with a hand on one shoulder, and another on the back of her neck, keeping her head and the nasty gash on it, away from dirt. Botan said carefully, "She needs medical help."

Yusuke rolled his shoulders until he heard a crack before saying loudly, "I thought I saw a town down that way." He pointed over his shoulder.

Hiei nodded to him and attempted to shift Yuumei onto his back when Kurama placed a hand on his shoulder. When the fox moved to gather the fallen girl in his arms, Hiei didn't stop him, knowing that her height made it awkward for the short demon to carry her efficiently. Kurama turned to everyone that now gathered around Hiei, "I will take her, but we still need the last spy."

Everyone except Hiei shared a nervous glance before Yusuke grinned and gave a thumbs-up. "I won't turn down a chance to kick some demon ass!"

Botan bit her lip but stepped forward nonetheless. "I'll go."

"Hiei?" Yusuke asked, hoping the quick little bugger would come.

"No."

"But we could really use your tracking-!"

"Take the girl," Hiei growled out with narrowed eyes.

Yusuke was about to complain whim Lei butt in, "Moron, I'll go. Don't waste time by arguing."

After a tense pause, he replied, "You're right. Kurama!" Once the red-head looked up, he continued, "Botan will take us straight to Koenma after we get this guy. You should head over as soon as you can too."

"Hey!" Kuwabara yelled out obnoxiously, tired of being ignored, "I'm coming too!"

Yusuke punched him in the back of the head while dryly claiming, "You can hardly stand on your feet. Go with them."

"The power of love will revive me!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Go with them."

When Kuwabara opened his mouth again, Yusuke, Botan, and Lei simultaneously screamed, "Now!"

"Alright, jeez."

"Psh, moron," came Lei's scathing retort.

"Why I outta-!"

"Shut up!" Hiei barked, silencing everyone with his vicious tone of voice, "We don't have time for this."

* * *

Not trusting the rotting windowsill, Hiei leaned against the wall of the cheap room of some rundown, nameless inn. He carefully watched the old, toothless hag as she clicked her tongue angrily over Yuumei's prone body. Yuumei's head was not neatly wrapped and treated; for how unpleasant the old crone was, she was a decent healer. A healer that was in a foul mood since she was practically yanked and dragged from her humble herb shop into this dingy room by an impatient Hiei. The only thing keeping her from putting a hex on the fire demon and refusing to treat anyone was the brief promise of compensation given to her by the beautiful red-headed fox who rushed off as soon as the woman set to work.

"She is fortunate," the woman cooed venomously, placing a twisted hand to Yuumei's soft cheek. Hiei pushed away from the wall and approached the bed with an almost feral glint in his eye, making the woman yank her hand back. Hiei crossed his arms across his chest and focused all three eyes on Yuumei. Though she still looked a little pale, she was breathing steadily. His mind kept asking how it was possible for her to be alive when the crone seemed to read his mind. "You returned someone to the ones they loved; now, they gave you back someone you care for." Hiei grew thoughtful. _The giggling girl…_

Yuumei started to shift and let out a prolonged groan as she woke. Blinking a few times, her eyes adjusted to the light streaming through the threadbare curtains. She turned her head and saw Hiei standing next to the bed. His hair was still damp, as were the clothes she was wearing, meaning she wasn't out too long. Slowly, she attempted to get up, holding her head with one hand.

Once she sat up, she heard an approving grunt from the demon next to her. At the sound of a forced cough, both of them turned to see the crone hold out a plain, but clean white linen robe. Yuumei blushed as the woman said plainly, "I must change her, she will fall ill otherwise."

Hiei nodded, purposefully not looking at Yuumei and fighting down his own tinge of embarrassment. Untrusting of the healer, but respecting enough of his teammate, he turned decisively away, facing an empty corner of the room. He could hear the movement of fabric, the swish of cloth, and the tantalizing little outraged noises Yuumei made as she was being rubbed down by a rough towel. It took a good bit of Hiei's willpower to not glance behind, even using his still-uncovered Jagan eye.

When the crone called him back, Yuumei was still tucked into the bed, but now covered by the thin fabric that came close to being semi see-through. Her cheeks were stained with a blush again, but this one, Hiei could tell, was more from anger.

Kurama knocked before entering the room and tossed a bag of coins towards the crone. He threw a second bag while saying firmly, "This is for you never seeing us."

The hag smiled toothlessly and walked out. Kurama turned to the other occupants and smiled warmly. "How are you feeling?"

Yuumei's eyes unfocused a little before she shook her head, "I'm all right, just have a bit of a headache."

"Do you remember anything?" he asked as he reached over to grab the communicator he left on the piece of furniture that poorly resembled a nightstand.

"Everything is sort of," Yuumei paused to grip her head again, "hazy. No, I can't really make anything out. I just remember being very cold, then very warm."

Kurama talked briefly into the purple device before nodding and shutting the thing with a clasp. A deep blue portal appeared before them. Kurama looked at Yuumei, "Can you walk?"

Yuumei flexed and moved her legs along the mattress tentatively, "Yeah."

With a little stumble, during which she grabbed onto the shoulder of Hiei's shirt, she nodded to herself and wandered slowly towards the portal.

Emerging from the other side, she was tackled by a toddler Koenma, who surprisingly didn't knock her over. "I'm so glad you're alive!"

Yuumei raised a brow, "What?"

Botan pulled the small ruler off of her by the back of his royal robes. "Apparently, you were going to die at the bottom of that cliff, but Lord Koenma decided to intervene."

Kuwabara, who was sent to Spirit World after they reached the village, approached while still giggling to himself. "The brat pulled the best prank!"

Yusuke laughed from across the room, sitting in Koenma's chair with his feet on the desk. Lei, who sat perched on the edge of said desk, wore an amused smile. Yusuke explained to the blank-faced trio, "Pacifier-breath here proclaimed his _undying _love to the poor girl that was to ferry you."

Koenma rubbed the back of his head sheepishly still held up by the collar, "I didn't exactly think it out too well."

Yuumei's face melted into an expression that screamed 'gee, you think?'

"But," Koenma perked up, "It worked!"

* * *

It was late Friday afternoon when Yuumei was preparing for her big party when there was a tapping at the window. She sighed and straightened out her dress before reaching over to unlatch the window. Hiei pushed the glass open and hopped in, taking a moment to take her appearance in.

She was looking at him curiously with her head tilted a bit to the side and bobbing pins poking out from between her lips; one hand was still in her hair, holding the purposefully sloppy bun in place. The cocktail dress she wore showed off her subtle curves well, and with her hair up it also accented the curve of her neck and shoulders.

He was tempted, very tempted, to simply admit to her just what happened in those few minutes, just a few days past, when they were both encased in a dark world of their own. But, true to his character, Hiei bit his tongue, looked away, and mumbled that Kurama sent him ahead to check on the girl.

Yuumei nodded at his excuse and finished up her hair, having to redo it a few times until she got it just right. Then, she slipped into the bathroom to put on some make-up, figuring that she will need some shield against Kurama's fan-girls.

She was applying mascara when Hiei scoffed impatiently on the other side of the door. "You are wasting time. You do not need those paints." His remark surprised her, making her pause and then smile at her own reflection. "Why thank you, Hiei."

"I didn't mean-." He stopped himself, instead lowering his voice to a deep rumble, "Just hurry up."

Yuumei just got done when the doorbell rang. Hiei nodded at her, pointedly looking away, letting her know that it was only the fox. Grabbing her shoes, Yuumei slipped them on before opening the door to let the red-head in. Smiling widely at the two boys, she said aloud, "So, what do you think?" She did a little turn, making the skirt of the dress flare out, giving the boys a teasing glance of her upper thighs before the fabric settled into place.

"Very nice," Kurama said politely, pulling at the collar of his long-sleeved shirt. Hiei only gave an audible swallow. Yuumei nodded at them with her grin still in place before grabbing Kurama's arm and leading him out, shutting the door in Hiei's face with the heel of her shoe.

"Hn," Hiei smirked at himself. _No, she doesn't need paints._

* * *

Sorry, not long, and more on the humorous side :)


	24. Chapter 24

God, this took forever to throw out. I'll try to update real soon (kinda left a cliffhanger, sorry)

-YSendo

Chapter 24

Yuumei stood at the table laid with cheap imitation chocolates watching the crowd shift and flow in front of her. She wore an easy grin specially designed to hide her boredom.

Some time ago, she lost Kurama to a sea of his fans that swept by quicker than a hurricane. While she wished she had someone to talk to, she definitely was not going to risk snatching him back from his captors. _Besides,_ Yuumei thought to herself, _it's kind of fun watching him squirm_.

That's exactly what she has been doing for the past five minutes since she caught sight of his brilliant red hair: just watching him, sending him a coy smile when he would glance at her with begging eyes. The boy called Vincent tapped her shoulder again. "You sure you don't want to dance?"

Yuumei looked back at him. He was a tall man, rivaling Kuwabara, but much more lean. With his black hair and deep blue eyes, he was the very definition of tall, dark and handsome. This man has been haunting her ever since she came to stand by the table, constantly wanting to dance. Yuumei declined gracefully.

She watched the man look down and pout slightly (an endearing sight, really) then walk away. Over her shoulder she heard Kurama's voice. "You seem to be enjoying yourself."

Yuumei turned to him and her smile widened, "I would rather Hiei run me through with his sword."

Kurama chuckled and said, "Careful," as he tapped the tip of her nose with a long finger, "he might just hear you."

"And your fans might just hear you," Yuumei smiled and pointed behind him, making the fox freeze and hastily move to the restroom. Yuumei grinned and gave a small wave at the girls glaring her down.

A long, boring fifteen minutes later, Yuumei sputtered as someone threw his arm around her shoulders in the middle of her taking a drink. By some miracle, Yuumei was able to avoid spilling anything on her little dress. She glared at the boy next to her. Vaguely, she remembered talking to him when she arrived. In personality, he reminded her a lot of Yusuke; heck, they even had the same stupid grin; though for the life of her, Yuumei couldn't recall his name.

"Some of my buddies are complaining about this place." Yuumei gracefully raised a brow, wondering how this information was relevant to her. "So," the boy continued with that engaging grin, "we're going to head down to a joint I know where the owner won't pay too much attention to I.D. You wanna come with?"

Yuumei blinked, "Why are you asking me?"

"Well," the boy started to scratch the back of his head, his confidence waning, "you look sort of…" he paused for a second to find the right word, "lonely."

_Lonely…_Yuumei echoed in her head. She glanced around the room, quietly judging the crowd as it interacted joyfully. All while she was standing there, isolated from everyone. _Lonely, indeed._ "All right," she said firmly, "I'll come. But first, I need to find my friend."

He nodded and jotted down an address sloppily on a napkin, handed it to her, then turned on his heel and motioned for his friends to go. Yuumei scouted out the room and found her friend outside, among the flora.

Kurama was sitting on a bench surrounded by an overgrown bush. Yuumei suspected he meddled with the plant to cover himself. Poor boy looked as bored as she felt. Yuumei snapped her fingers in front of the fox's face to get his attention. "You can either stay here, or come with me to get something to drink."

"I really shouldn't drink," Kurama reasoned, but since Yuumei was way past the drinking age, he couldn't really speak for her. Yuumei frowned and surprised Kurama with the amount of longing in her voice.

"Then just come with me; keep me company."

* * *

Hiei flipped through the pages of another book then tossed it over his shoulder with disdain. All the covers looked more interesting than the actual content. Glancing around, he growled into the silence engulfing the apartment before settling restlessly on the narrow windowsill.

Yuumei's apartment offered him a dry shelter from the storm he could sense brewing. Normally, Hiei would go to Kurama's, but the fox warned him away, claiming his mother was getting suspicious.

As the evening wore on, the fire demon became more agitated and bored. Hiei paced briskly in an erratic circle, trying to burn some energy when there was a knock on the door. Hiei stilled.

The knocking continued. Then, the oaf's voice rang out. "Hey, open up!"

The fire apparition smirked as he yanked the door open and flashed to his right, making the human, who was leaning on the door, fall in gracelessly. "Hn."

"What are you doing here?!" Kuwabara asked loudly before cooing to the panicked fur-ball tucked into his arms. "There, there. The Shrimp won't hurt you, baby."

Hiei narrowed his eyes to a glare, not liking the buffoon's now almost begging expression. "Look," Kuwabara started, making an obvious attempt to be polite, "my sis is going out of town for a few days and I'm going to be busy. Now, I would _never_ ask a favor of you but…"

"Spit it out."

"Watch Eikichi for me."

"No."

Kuwabara swallowed his pride and adopted a pathetic puppy-dog look. "Please…?"

Hiei's glare turned deadly and his eyebrow started to twitch. _Does he really think I'm stupid?_ Hiei said with a flat voice, "You look uglier than you normally do."

Kuwabara bit his tongue, but his shoulders shook with anger. "But," Hiei continued, looking at the far wall, "give it."

The buffoon seemed to hesitate and think over his decision to leave the cat here. He cuddled and cooed to the damned beast, making Hiei grow impatient. Hiei grabbed the cat by the scruff of the neck and yanked it out of the human's hands. Holding the cat up and away from his torso, Hiei remarked scathingly, "The woman will care for it, idiot. Leave, before I decide to kill it."

Grumbling, the human took out his communicator and told Botan he was ready. When the boy left, Hiei shut the door thoughtfully and dropped the cat like a sack of potatoes. _Did the brat not call me?_ Hiei wondered to himself. He was itching for a fight.

Hiei nearly jumped out of his boots when Eikichi rubbed against his legs and meowed loudly. With a grunt, Hiei kicked the cat aside. "Scat."

"Mrew?"

* * *

"-so, I just poured the water down the front of her shirt! You have to remember: she thought it was acid. Oh! Her face, it was priceless!" Yuumei laughed, merrily swinging her arms in the air. Kurama sent her an engaging smile as she walked next to him on the way home.

Though Kurama didn't find the story she was telling quite as entertaining as Yuumei found it, he was glad that she was enjoying herself. When they arrived at the bar earlier, Yuumei sipped at only a few screwdrivers, maintaining a pleasant buzz. Kurama cleared his throat and asked politely, "What do you think of the team?"

"Kuwabara tries to hard. I mean, he isn't Yusuke, you know? But he's comparing himself to him so much!" Apparently, when Yuumei is buzzed, she tends to ramble. Kurama's smile turned mischievous. "What about Hiei?"

"Hiei?" Yuumei's entire body relaxed and she wouldn't look up from the ground as she walked. Kurama was worried that he pushed it too far when she replied, "Hiei is..." she struggled to find the right word, "reserved."

Kurama sent her a sad look. "Hiei has trouble with emotions."

"I-! I didn't mean anything like that!" Yuumei defended with a blush. "I just- Hiei is special. He shouldn't be treated like a normal person. I mean, I know he's not a person; he's a demon. Wait. A demon is a person. Uhh, ow." Yuumei grabbed her head. "You know what I mean."

Kurama laughed out loud. "Yes. I do." He looked up in surprise at the droplets of water that started falling. Yuumei said his thoughts aloud, "Look, it's raining."

"More of a drizzle actually," Yuumei glared at his all-knowing attitude, "but we should hurry to get you home."

They were soaked by the time they reached the steps to Yuumei's second story apartment. Through the rain, they could see a dark shape outlined in the window. "What's Hiei doing here?" Yuumei questioned with a frown. Kurama looked at her oddly, "Are you normal again?"

Yuumei laughed, despite her soaked, shivering state, "As normal as I'll ever be. The rain really was a buzz-kill. I'll see you around."

She watched him walk away for a good while before turning to open her door. She slipped off her shoes and was massaging her foot from when she stumbled over a root of a tree. When something warm and soft rubbed against her leg, she jumped a little and lost her balance. She glared at the colorful mass as it raced under the sofa. "What the hell was that?"

Hiei made sure to keep his face blank as he looked at Yuumei. Her cheeks were flushed from the chill outside, her hair was down and soaked, and from her position on the floor, the skirt of her dress rode up a bit and clung to her skin giving her a very…aroused look.

"The idiot left his feline here."

Yuumei looked up at him, before she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her knees. "Hiei?"

"Hn?" He looked at her from across the room, letting his crimson eyes stay on her green ones, even though she was watching the floor with a melancholy expression.

"Would you say I look," she glanced at him for a moment, "lonely?"

Hiei scowled and contemplated not giving her an answer, but after a long few minutes, he came up to her and stood next to her, looking down at her from the corner of his eye, even though he faced the window. "You are strong. Never forget that."

Yuumei smiled, "That doesn't answer my question."

"Hn." Hiei stared out the window at the rain. Yuumei thought for a moment that he perhaps didn't hear her, but then she noticed the subtle, mocking curve of his lips. She got to her feet, pulled the skirt down, and on the way to her bedroom, leaned down and pecked him on the temple.

His crimson eyes watched after her, that little mocking half-smile still in place.

* * *

The next morning found the team waiting in a large, musty warehouse. Yusuke and Kuwabara were agitated for having to get up at such an obscene hour of the morning (6:00) while Kurama sat perched on a large crate next to Hiei, perched atop one just above the fox. Lei hovered near the door. Yuumei was leaning against a barrel across from everyone, wrapped up in a thick jacket that was too big for her.

Earlier, when Hiei tapped on the girl's window to wake her up (apparently, he left once the storm let up), and just sat there on his ankles on the windowsill, grunting as she went about getting ready and feeding the loud cat. When Yuumei complained of not feeling well, he barked at her to hurry up.

Now, Hiei watched covertly as Yuumei tried stifling a sneeze. He told himself that he shouldn't feel guilty, it was not his fault the girl was soaked to the bone last night. But at the same time, he had to fight a deep-seeded urge to grab her, drag her into a nice, cozy bed, and force her to rest until the sickness passes.

Yuumei couldn't hold it in, but at least her sneeze was relatively quiet. To human ears, at least. Lei heard the small noise and came up, eager for a chance to prove to the handsome fire demon how weak the human race is. "Human health is so frail, don't you think?" Lei started off, immediately earning everyone's attention.

Kurama frowned and asked Yuumei, "Are you all right? You didn't get sick from last night, did you?"

"No," Yuumei denied with a glare at the demon girl. "I'm fine."

Lei smirked when Yuumei succeeded in hiding another sneeze. "You look disgustingly pale."

Yuumei shot back, "Oh, have I matched your pallor?" Yusuke laughed aloud, while Hiei smirked to himself.

"You can't change that you're a filthy human," the black-haired girl said evenly.

Yuumei rubbed her temple. She was tired and sick and in no mood to deal with this little pest. The headache that in the past hour turned into a dull ache came back as a full force migraine. It didn't help any that Yusuke's loud laughter grated on her nerves.

Lei frowned at the room suddenly. "We are waiting here too long."

Yuumei groaned, earning a scathing look from Hiei and his voice erupting in the back of her head. _'You did this to yourself.'_

_How was I supposed to know it was raining_, she thought viciously. By now, Lei was tapping her foot, leaning back against an abandoned fork-lift; the wooden soles of her shoes made echoing _clicks_ as they hit the cement floor.

_Click, click, click_. "I have no desire to stay here any longer." Damned demon wouldn't shut up. _Click, click, click._

"Who does she think she is? Making us wai-!"

"Who do you think _you _are?" Yuumei exploded, shooting up from her leaning position. Lei glared at her. Yuumei continued, her anger fueled for the most part by her migraine, "If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be in this mess?"

Everyone looked at her for that. Lei paled slightly, making Yuumei go on with a vengeance. "I am sick and tired of your superiority complex! You berate us for the mistakes we make when what you did is far more destructive!"

Yusuke butt in carefully, "Hey, what are you saying?"

Yuumei turned to him, but kept her eyes on Lei. "Can't you tell? She designed the cannon."

* * *

Oh, teh noes!


	25. Chapter 25

Next installment! Whew.

-YSendo

Chapter 25

Yusuke turned on the demon girl. "_You _did this?!"

"No!" she denied quickly, but since the team trusted Yuumei more than her, she amended her statement. "I didn't _build _it."

Yuumei reigned in her temper and said coolly in Lei's defense, "She drew up the plans for it; then it got into someone else's grubby hands and altered."

Kurama looked between the two girls. "Why?"

Lei glared at the floor, feeling Hiei's eyes on her back. "What I made was a large gun to absorb and focus spirit energy into a blast. I thought it would be useful on a battlefield."

Yuumei huddled into her jacket and sneezed loudly, making Kurama and Kuwabara offer to take her home. She refused, but found Hiei standing on the barrel she was leaning on, silently commanding her to sit down. Kurama turned back to the demon girl. "How was it stolen?"

"It wasn't," Lei smirked, more to herself. "I couldn't build a working model. So, when someone approached me offering to buy the piece of crap, I sold it."

Hiei narrowed his eyes at the two moronic humans, who didn't seem to get the implications. He pointed out scathingly, "This man perfected it."

Lei sighed, deciding to explain the mechanics: "My design was meant to absorb spent spirit energy from a large area into a condensed beam that would work like the human's spirit gun. This new prototype uses life energy, harvested from human corpses."

Yuumei was about to say something when Botan came flying in on her oar. "Yukina was taken hostage!"

"What?!" Kuwabara yowled, "My Love is missing?!"

Hiei looked like he bit the inside of his cheek in anger and from the small line of blood oozing to his chin he did so pretty hard. Yuumei stood up and turned to him, almost sensing the sudden tension in him. While Botan explained to the rest of the team how she found the poor ice apparition missing, Yuumei reached up and gently wiped the rivulet with her finger. "Hiei," she said softly.

He looked down at her, but she could see his mind was elsewhere, most likely locating the girl with the help of the Jagan. Yuumei told him anyway, "She's going to be fine."

Botan hesitated to reveal a small piece of information until the end. "They are threatening to test the cannon on her unless we give them Hiei."

Kuwabara crossed his arms, "Then give 'em the Shrimp. He can handle himself."

A commotion brought everyone's attention to the trio standing a little bit away. "If something happens to her, I will have your head!"

Yuumei tried to pull him away by the arms as Hiei stood, looking as scary as ever, holding Lei up by the collar of her shirt a good few inches off the ground. Lei looked simultaneously sad and frightened, having never been faced with Hiei's true wrath.

Lei said nothing in her defense. Hiei growled, "Do you hear me? If anything happens to _Yukina_…"

Yuumei yanked back on his arms, quite disheartened when even though she threw her body into it, his arms wouldn't even budge. How do you fit so much strength in such a little body? "Hiei! Threatening won't help anyone," she reasoned.

"You will regret the day you were born by the time I'm through with you!"

"The longer you yell," Yuumei hissed, "the longer Yukina will have to wait!"

Hiei stopped at this. He dropped Lei, who fell back on the concrete floor, still staring at him in fear, then shrugged Yuumei's hands off of him. "I'll go."

"No, you won't," Yuumei claimed. His response was to glare at her viciously, making a shiver run down her spine. Not able to look him in the eyes anymore, Yuumei opted to watch Botan. "If they gain access to Hiei's energy, they will have an unlimited supply of darkness energy to fuel attacks. I'm not saying we leave Yukina in their hands; just that we have to find another way."

Kurama broke the tense silence with a nod. "You're right. Hiei, there is no need to sacrifice yourself."

Hiei scoffed and crossed his arms, a deep scowl decorating his face. To Yuumei, it seemed that only an indomitable will kept him from jolting out of the building.

* * *

Kurama led the way to the abandoned museum where Yukina was being held. Koenma cleverly recognized a replica monument that was in the background of the video that was sent with the demands. To avoid detection, the team was using an old underground fire-escape; not exactly a smart architectural idea according to Yuumei.

Yusuke caught up to Hiei, who strode forward with crackles of black lightning exploding around him in his fury. Leaning down, Yusuke whispered to the demon, "You think we should tell Yuumei?"

"Tell her what?" Hiei growled, not in the greatest of moods.

"About you and Yukina."

Hiei stopped on a dime and said very precisely, very venomously, "She will not be told _anything._"

Yusuke scratched his head and followed after the demon when he started stalking forward again. "I think she deserves to know."

Yuumei hugged herself tighter, not liking the cramped, damp tunnel they were trekking through. It wasn't helping that her sneezes were becoming harder to conceal, leaving her to be a burden to the group. She distracted herself from the cold by trying to, again, figure out why Hiei was so defensive when it came to the little ice apparition. Her mind was muddled and her headache increased, so Yuumei decided to watch the Botan's ponytail bob back and forth.

They came out on the second story balcony that looked over the main hall. Smack dab in the middle of the floor below, Yukina was tied up and gagged in the center the star-like design on the floor. Other than being a little shook up, she looked fine, making Lei breathe an easy sigh.

The captors, however, noticed the spirit detectives presence, in part, by the fire demon's deadly aura.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is."

Kuwabara grabbed onto the railing with both hands, fully intending to jump down, screaming, "Let my Yukina go!"

"Stop," one of the green-skinned lizard demons called. "If you do anything, we will fire the cannon."

"He's bluffing," Yusuke said, though not too confidently. Lei shook her head, saying, "Can't you see the glow, human? It is powered."

"I'll save you, my love!"

Confident that the ice apparition will not attack them, the demons came around to stand on the right side of the floor, putting themselves between the team and the weapon.

While the demons taunted the team, and the boys ground their teeth, Yuumei leaned down to ask Lei, "Isn't there something Yukina can do?"

Lei shook her head sadly, she knew that the girl meant a lot to Hiei, "No," but then she looked up, her eyes alert and flashing to and fro, as if thinking something over. "Wait!"

She pushed between Kuwabara and Yusuke and grabbed onto the railing, calling to the girl. "Freeze the base of the cannon!"

Yukina looked up confused, but did as was told, freezing first the floor directly around her, then having the chill creep up the white metal base of the cannon. The demons looked back angry. "Fire the damned thing!"

The boys jumped forward, each with one foot on the railing, except Hiei, who just bounded over the obstacle to thrust a sword through the throat of the closest demon. A resounding explosion shook the room.

Everyone held their breath as the dust settled, revealing a dirty, but alive, Yukina kneeling with a large piece of collapsed ceiling to her right. Hiei looked a little lost as he felt his arm attract, then absorb, the remaining darkness flame from the room. With a sob, Yukina dove into Kuwabara's arms.

Lei released her breath, then glared as Yusuke patted her roughly on the back. "Good job." Botan blinked and asked Kurama what happened.

Yuumei sneezed, but answered for the fox. "The initial force starts deep within the cannon. Without the base holding it in place, the weapon was propelled backwards." At Botan's confused stare, Yuumei thrust a thumb over her shoulder, pointing to the wall opposite the door. "See for yourself."

Buried a few inches in the wall, the thick white parts of the contraction were visible. A cracked, empty glass orb glittered in a sinister way.

Hiei's shoulder muscles jumped when Yuumei placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come on; let's go back."

* * *

:) Reviews are nice


	26. Chapter 26

Sorry for such a long hiatus. College started and I really didn't have much time to really make chapter. I will try to get the next out sooner. Almost at the end people.

-YSendo

Chapter 26

"Mrew?"

Yuumei sighed as she shut her door behind her, leaning back on the wood. Thoughtfully, she stared off in front of her, taking some small comfort from the ball of fur weaving between her legs.

She came home alone, dismissing even Hiei with a mumbled excuse that she needed rest. What she really needed, Yuumei decided, was some time to herself. In silence, she went about the kitchen, preparing herself something to eat. Yuumei sat down to munch on her sandwich, throwing down bits of turkey for the cat.

Then she wondered, bleakly, when her ideal of loving from a distance changed to a jealously that threatened to consume her. Even now, as she repeated aloud to herself that Hiei and Yukina didn't have a bond of physical love, but one more towards close friends, Yuumei couldn't shake the cold chill that gripped her spine at the sight of Hiei's repressed distress.

_The easiest choice is to leave_, Yuumei thought to herself, but as she did she felt that cold grip around her heart return. She knew that if she were to leave now, just disappear, she would learn to live with the loneliness until it became a dull ache that she would only feel on cold, rainy nights. Soon, her time with the detectives will be over. Soon, she will be forced to move away so they can't find her; she won't let them find her.

Yuumei was confident she could make it. She was confident she could live out her prolonged existence without turning to depression. _I can do it,_ she told herself. "I can do it."

"Mrew." But still, she slid out of her chair and huddled around the small ball of fur which was contently munching on the remains of her sandwich. She gathered the feline in her arms and held it close. "Mrew?"

"I can do it." _…just not yet._

* * *

"Yukina could've been killed!" Kuwabara roared down in Lei's face, spraying her with spit. "My most beautiful flower could've been killed!" Kuwabara seemed to realize just how in danger the ice apparition must have been in because his hands started to tremble as he covered his face with them; all the while, he was mumbling, "My Yukina."

After using her sleeve to wipe the drool off her face, Lei glanced around for any support from the team. Kurama looked most sympathetic, though he gave no words in her defense. Yusuke and Kuwabara were yelling at her for the past ten minutes, since a little before Yuumei left. Hiei sat up in a nearby tree, his expression blank and distant; he seemed to be ignoring everything.

Lei snarled, baring her canines, as Yusuke raised his hands again. Though he didn't strike her, during his rant he fell into a habit of using violent hand motions and Lei felt the need to warn him that he was getting too close. "I can't believe this. Why didn't you tell us? Does Koenma know?"

Lei stepped away from Yusuke as she answered the detective's questions. "I saw no need to bring it up. As I said," she ground out, "the design was changed."

"Does pacifier-breath know?!" Yusuke yelled again, unknowingly grating on Hiei's nerves.

"I don't know!" Lei barked back, tired of being pushed into a corner. She continued venomously, "I don't even know how that _disgusting little human_ found out. Perhaps she already told that overgrown baby-!"

"Do not," Hiei said evenly as he held Lei up by the throat against a tree, "fabricate excuses." He tightened his hold a little bit, making Lei gasp and swallow heavily. As he explained with a deadly calm, no one dared interrupt him, so rigid was his frame. "Your project endangered an _innocent_ maiden, nearly killed the fox, and," Hiei's voice rose, "it wasted my time!" He bit his tongue before he spurted out some nonsense in Yuumei's defense. Last thing he needed was to have the pesky humans bother him about his personal affairs.

"Your time," Kuwabara scoffed, "My Yukina could have-." He wisely stopped as Hiei sent him a sharp glare. Hiei choked Lei once more before releasing her. Turning to the rest of the team, he grunted, "Hn, I am tired of your foolish yelling." Then, he vanished.

Lei drew herself to her feet, her eyes closed and her body barely trembling. When she opened her eyes and saw Yusuke and Kuwabara readying themselves for another round with her, she deadpanned her voice, "I will not tolerate this behavior."

Yusuke was about to chase after her as she took off, but Kurama placed a hand on his arm. "It is time to rest. We all had an exciting day."

"You're right," Yusuke drawled, though his brow was wrinkled in anger still, "but she can't get away with it."

"She did nothing wrong," Kurama amended, though he didn't think he got through to anyone.

* * *

Hiei stopped at the temple to quickly check on his sister. Spotting her in one of the many rooms, he crawled in through the window, surprising her. "Oh, Hiei."

He nodded at her, standing resolutely next to his escape route until she motioned for him to sit across from her. When he did, she prepared him a cup of tea and they sipped in silence. "Are you all right?" Hiei asked quietly.

"Yes," Yukina smiled at him. "I just had a bit of a scare, that's all. How is Yuumei?"

Her question surprised him, making him pause mid-sip. "Why should I know?" he said, more harshly than he intended. Yukina gave him a confused glance, "She usually stays around you. She didn't look too good earlier."

Hiei looked away, holding back the instinctive retort to deny noticing the taller girl's health. "She is ill," he muttered.

Yukina smiled, "Perhaps you should visit her. I'll pack you some sweets that I made."

"You don't have to-," was Hiei's strangled reply, but his sister already dashed out of the room. With a sigh, Hiei finished his tea and got to his feet, silently wondering what the girl was doing.

He felt her tension throughout their earlier excursion. Hiei tried to read her body language, but there was nothing clear except that she was upset. He even probed her mind to get to the root of the problem, but it was such a mess in there that he withdrew. In fact, even now, Hiei dreaded seeing Yuumei; his primitive instinct kept telling him that whatever plagued Yuumei was his fault.

* * *

Yuumei pretended to not hear the knocking. She simply sat curled up on the couch reading a book, leafing through to the more interesting parts. The knocking got more persistent, making Yuumei look over thoughtfully. She set her book aside and methodically unlocked the door. When she opened it, she was met by Hiei's more than annoyed expression, with those crimson eyes glaring at her hoping to instill guilt. Yuumei shut the door and slid the dead bolt in place. She crossed her arms and faced the door, knowing he could see her perfectly well with his jagan.

She heard the audible sigh Hiei deliberately let out. "Woman, let me in."

She shook her head and heard him growl. _This is ridiculous_, Hiei thought to himself. "Yukina made me bring you some food."

Yuumei growled out from the other side of the door, "Figures. Yukina." Hiei stared at the door in confusion. Then, his jagan glowed as he invaded the girl's mind again. He saw that same turmoil, although this time he got a feeling that it was conjured intentionally to throw him off.

It took half an hour to convince Yuumei to let him in. If Hiei were a more sociable person, it would have taken less time, but he kept himself aloof and Yuumei relented only when he threatened to break her window to get in.

Once inside, Hiei handed off the blue little bag that Yukina gave him, more as a symbol of truce than a gift. Yuumei stared at the little bag for a long time and the tension in the room returned. Hiei shifted his weight from one foot to the next, staring up at the taller woman resolutely.

"Why?" A simple question. Hiei wanted an answer. Yuumei could see that, but she was too afraid to really voice it. Not because she feared his rejection (frankly, she was convinced he would deny everything out of reflex), but because he wouldn't understand it really. Love.

Hiei started to pull his lip back to snarl, showing his impatience. Yuumei set down the bag and avoided his sharp eyes. "Earlier, I assumed things. About you and Yukina."

"Just friends," Hiei injected stiffly, still unwilling to confess even to this woman.

"I know," Yuumei conceded with a smile, "I overreacted. But it showed me something I wanted to keep denying." She wandered to the bookcase, sliding a finger along the spines of her most favorite books. "You need a demonic companion, Hiei."

Hiei stood confused as the statement hovered between them. "Yes," he replied warily. Yuumei looked at him ruefully, "So I can't compare."

Hiei scowled at her and glared, silently demanding she explain herself. Yuumei grinned to herself for a moment before wandering over to sit on the sofa. "I fell in love with you," she said in one breath.

Hiei stood, carefully weighing his response in his mind. Yuumei just slid down and leaned back on the sofa with a regretful smile. He watched her warily, in a way hesitant to say anything. Yuumei closed her eyes and said, attracting Hiei's attention, "I don't expect you to confess whether or not you feel the same. In fact," her smild slid off her face, "I'm afraid to know that answer."

When she looked up, Hiei was standing above her, staring down with his hands buried deep within his pockets. He leaned over and touched his lips to hers.

Yuumei cautiously kissed him back, but she didn't try to deepen the gesture. He kept his hands in his pockets; she kept hers crossed across her chest. It wasn't until Kuwabara came knocking on the door that they broke apart, with Hiei disappearing into thin air.

* * *

Hope you liked it. Thanks for remaining such loyal readers :)

-YSendo


	27. Chapter 27

...I should hang myself for the wait I put you loyal readers through T.T

-YSendo

Chapter 27

"Thank you for all you've done, Yuumei," Koenma said formally. Yuumei shifted from one foot to the other, silently angry that he had to bring this up in front of the guys, most of which were caught of guard. Yusuke was the one who voiced the mutual opinion. "Is she going somewhere?"

Hiei only glanced at the detective, then at Yuumei, before looking back at the ground, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Koenma frowned at the boy, "It is too dangerous for her to remain with you boys. She is too precious to us to be exposed."

"What?" Kuwabara replied. Kurama flicked a lock of his hair behind his ear before answering for the prince, "Yuumei holds many Spirit World secrets, if she were to be captured, those secrets could come out."

"I," Yusuke threw in, trying to sound smart, "don't see how she is in _more_ danger because of us."

"Fool," Hiei scoffed. "The girl would be captured _because _of her involvement with us." To himself, he thought grimly, _how _did_ she avoid being noticed so far?_

Yuumei rubbed her temples while stating very firmly for Koenma to just get to the point. She really didn't want the ruler to point out that she had to move again. Thinking of all the parcels she meticulously packed last night after Hiei left, Yuumei felt a twinge of guilt for deciding not to let anyone know of her new residence.

"Of course," the prince fumbled a little, searching for the remote under and around stacks of papers. "This is your target."

The overhead screen displayed a mug shot of a tall, lanky human with dark hair and hazel eyes. There was nothing particularly odd about the individual except for a thin scar running from the corner of his lips to his chin. Koenma explained, "He is the one who commissioned the cannon….or cannons I should say. You will find him at his country residence. The portal I have provided will deposit you five somewhere behind the estate. I want you to capture him and deliver him here. Dismissed."

Filing out of the room, everyone watched Yuumei carefully. Well-aware of the stares, the girl tried to act nonchalant, though she really wanted to talk with Hiei. His visit the day before was peculiar to begin with, but there was no way she could have foreseen the result of that confession.

Today, he showed no signs of change, expect for when she arrived. He was waiting outside the chamber as the two humans, and Kurama, were inside the office, the former complaining loudly. Hiei looked her over, opened and closed his mouth, and then clenched his jaw before nodding at her stiffly. They walked in after that.

* * *

Hiei was angry: angry at himself for being too much of a coward to talk to the one woman who inspired such emotion in him. He marched ahead eagerly, ready to work off his frustration on the poor human who was their target.

He felt her stare on him. Through his jagan he sensed her curiosity for him. He sent her a telepathic warning to mind her own business and cringed at how harsh his tone sounded even to him. Yuumei, however, didn't seem insulted as she turned away to focus on the portal.

As everyone touched down on the grassy meadow forming a part of the human's backyard, they immediately noticed one thing. Lei.

She stood haughtily next to a familiar cannon and an eight-foot tall massive golem-like, grey demon. The thing looked beyond stupid. Its arms were like logs that were abnormally long, making its hands drag on the ground behind it. Its legs were severely bent at the knees, making it look like it was crawling more so than walking. A little ways behind the pair, the team could see a mutilated body with its face clearly unharmed. They recognized that corpse as their human target.

Lei coughed loudly to get the team's attention. "Here," she waved her hand in the air, gripping a few papers as well as a blueprint, "are the only tools with which a person could construct another one of these babies." She touched the white metal of the cannon with her other hand.

Yusuke shook his fist at the demon girl. "Why do we care? I vote we just beat you to the ground."

"Yusuke!" Kurama grabbed Yusuke's arm to prevent him from firing his spirit gun. Yusuke yelled at the red-head "What the hell is wrong with you?! You've been stopping me a lot lately!"

Yuumei stepped in front of Yusuke, turning her back to Lei, making Hiei unconsciously growl at her thoughtlessness. Yuumei said decisively, "If you destroy that cannon by exploding it, the blast might kill us too."

Lei laughed, making Yuumei turn towards her. "Also," she continued with a malicious glint, "the building behind me is the main lab. I suggest destroying that to truly eradicate the power source for the cannons."

"Why are you helping us," Kuwabara asked, holding a more defensive position.

"Because," Lei replied, "I will give you these," she gestured with the papers, "in exchange," she pointed, "for her."

"What?! Are you crazy?" Yusuke yelled, moving Yuumei behind him. Kuwabara moved next to Yusuke and joined in with a "you're crazier than the Shrimp!"

Hiei snarled, but kept his gaze on the tall girl, linking to her mind to find her weighing her options. After a long few minutes, he withdrew mentally to better monitor the demon girl next to the cannon.

Yusuke and Kuwabara were still yelling out insults at the girl when Yuumei pushed past them. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"I'm saving you some energy," she responded before walking up to Lei and turning around to face the boys. It took all her willpower to stand still as the monster of a demon laid his hands on her neck, threatening, yet at the same time nonchalant.

Yuumei turned her head as much as she could in that foul grasp. To Lei she said, "We had a deal." Lei, who was looking over at the team glanced at Yuumei with half-lidded eyes, "Yes, we did." With that, she tossed the papers at the ground, along with a ball which exploded on impact, coating everything in thick smoke. When the smoke dispersed, the trio was gone.

"Goddammit!" Yusuke cried out in vain. "We have to go after them!"

"I believe we should take care of this first," Kurama injected calmly, gesturing at the papers and building. He was well aware that the statement sounded very unfeeling, but it had to be done; they simply couldn't risk missing a chance to end this.

So, when Yusuke was about to complain, the fox's voice turned deadly. "Yuumei surrendered herself to make it easier for us to complete this mission. She would be disappointed to hear we failed."

It wasn't just his tone that shocked the rest of the team. It was the truth of the statement, and the affectionate images it invoked within everyone's minds. To Yusuke, it was like the yelling Keiko would submit him to; to Kuwabara, Yuumei reminded him of his sister, constantly dogging on him. And to Hiei, well, she was just Yuumei. Yusuke looked down, his mind and heart at odds while Kuwabara jumped at the opportunity to honor the girl. Hiei, on another note, scoffed and smirked while crossing his arms, "Hn. I do not need the pestering of that woman." He looked decisively at the building.

To ease Yusuke's decision, Kuwabara patted him forcefully on the back. "Yuumei is a smart girl," he said. "She will be fine." Damn, was that idiot insightful sometimes.

Hiei did the honors of destroying the papers by stabbing them onto the tip of his sword, then allowing the darkness flame to engulf the blade. Yusuke grinned at Kuwabara and the two idiots made bets on who would cause the most destruction as the more human side of the team rounded on the building. Hiei gazed distractedly at his sword, thinking of the time Yuumei first watched him use it. It was the fox who paused to call out the demon's name. "Hn." He turned to follow the group. "Let's get this done," with that, Hiei flashed towards the building, starting a haphazard race among the entire party.

* * *

Yuumei wrinkled her nose at the stench which stuck around her. The demon had already released her and was standing back, blocking the only exit off the small ledge that Lei led them to.

Yuumei felt a twinge of fear as she avoided looking down the cliff. She barely survived the last fall off a ledge (to her knowledge at least), but a fall from here would send her head-first into solid rock.

It was Lei who broke the silence, "What is it about you that makes you so _valuable_ to them?"

"My wonderful personality," Yuumei replied, with heavy sarcasm. The statement was more of a jab at the small girl, who visibly flared. Yuumei asked her own question. "Why do you want me? Why not demand our little Hiei?"

"Because," Lei said with a laugh, "I can't hold him."

"But what use am I?" Yuumei decided to play dumb; there was a chance that Lei only kidnapped her to spite the boys.

"I'm going to sell you for your secrets." _Damn,_ Yuumei mumbled in her mind. Lei knew. "I don't care, perhaps they'll torture you," the small demon suggested. "Maybe they would rape you. Or kill you."

"I'm not really liking the sound of that," Yuumei replied in good humor. "Although, I'm sure that your father would love to do that."

"My fath- how dare you?!" With that Lei confirmed Yuumei's suspicions.

After Lei joined the team, Koenma looked up her file. Though he didn't find anything interesting in there, Yuumei did memorize a certain detail she read when she glanced through the folder herself.

Lei suffers from a condition known as Electra complex: a psychological problem that makes one feel an _unhealthy_ attraction to one's own father. It was Lei's father, a semi-strong hybrid demon, who instilled in her a hate for humans that stemmed from his own grudge against a pretty little demoness who would rather die with her human husband than join the demon in the Demon Realm. A tragic story really.

* * *

Lei was furious. Not only has this _human_ just figured out Lei's past, but she also just insinuated that her father would rather have _her_. "You already have Hiei, leave my father out of this."

"Oh," Yuumei continued to bait, "so you admit that our little spitfire is mine. Now will you admit that your father is dead?"

"My father is not dead!" With that, Lei lunged, sending both girls off the cliff, with an amused, oversized demon still overlooking the only path off the ledge.

* * *

There was one last explosion marred by a gust of dark flame that evaporated into the clouds. The left over flames cast a deep red glow on the team, making their expressions even gloomier. Yusuke opened the communicator and was met by Koenma's onslaught. "I asked you to capture a human! Not cause a scene where _we _get reports of human activity approaching you!"

Yusuke clenched his jaw before grinding out into the screen, "How much have you actually seen?"

"You were storming the house!"

"So," Kuwabara interrupted, appearing behind Yusuke, well in view of Koenma, "the brat didn't see Lei take Yuumei."

"Yuumei?! Where is she?! She can't tell them anything?!"

"All you care about is your secrets don't you?" they heard Botan ask. Koenma paled and with one last, "Get her back," the screen went black.

* * *

Yuumei fell a farther distance than Lei before she was able to catch onto the jagged edge of a protruding stone. Looking up, she could see the smaller girl groping the wall above her for leverage. _Dammit,_ she thought as she plastered herself against the wall and started her own climb. Yuumei never really liked the rock-wall exercises that an old friend forced her to do, but now she was glad she had that brief experience.

Somehow, minus a few practically heart-stopping slips, Yuumei caught up to the demon girl. They were both barely five feet from the top of the cliff with only two feet between them.

While Yuumei tried to rest in such an awkward position, Lei was vainly trying to grasp a higher rock. It was out of her reach. Slowly, her fingers inched closer, when the rock was held by a slightly larger hand.

Yuumei heaved herself over the edge and rolled onto her front to grab a hold of Lei's upheld wrist. The demon girl snarled. "I don't need your help."

Yuumei said nothing as she gently lifted the girl a few inches, dislodging the demon from the wall. Lei's only reaction was a sudden shift in her attention, from the human girl in front of her, to the deep voice rumbling insults through the forest. "Hiei," the demon girl muttered grimly.

"You won't have to deal with him," Yuumei said with a deadly calm.

Lei was momentarily confused, "Why?"

"Because," Yuumei's eyes revealed a lingering glint, "I'm not here to save you."

With that, she let go of the wrist, plunging the demonic girl into the ground below.

* * *

Epilogue chapter left to go, I'll try to get it up by the end of today :) -YSendo


	28. Chapter 28

Last chapter.

-YSendo

Chapter 28: Epilogue, sort of

The summer sun was setting behind the horizon obstructed by human buildings and false trees. Hiei and Yukina walked slowly, taking their time, to get to Kuwabara's house. Both of them were attending a party that Botan decided to throw for Yuumei, although Hiei was doing so begrudgingly.

It was Kurama's suggestion that the fire demon should pick up his unknowing sister, just so Kuwabara doesn't end up being her escort. Now, Hiei realized just why the fox urged him to do it: Yuumei's apartment was along the quickest route from the temple to the human's house.

"Hiei, we can pick up Yuumei too," the ice maiden suggested when she realized where they where. She recognized the little apartment block from a few weeks before, when Botan suggested that Yukina and her go visit the "young" woman. They ended up not going. Yukina smiled at Hiei to convince him.

Hiei looked at her, then up at the darkened window. He doubted the woman was home, but she be preparing in the bathroom or bedroom…He shook the thought out of his head. _Last thing I need is to think of her in a bedroom_, he thought to himself.

But, he grunted to Yukina and told her to stay there on the sidewalk while he jumped up onto the second floor and peered into one of the windows.

Hiei scowled at the boxes littered around the room, and at the blankness shrouding the rest of the apartment. Silently, he flitted over to the next window, then the next, until he scouted every entrance to the place. Every room was dark and empty. One box sat on the bare bed opened. As far as he could see, it contained clothes. He appeared next to Yukina with a thoughtful expression and a distant apology to Yukina. "She must have already left then," she suggested.

* * *

"Yukina! My love!"

"Shut up buffoon. You are making my ears bleed."

"Hiei, be nice."

"Hn."

Yuumei turned her attention away from the window and smiled at the commotion at the door. _Well, that would explain why he wouldn't use a window_. She leaned back against the windowsill, sipping from the glass of lemonade that Botan passed around.

Hiei took his eyes off Yukina and Kuwabara as the oaf was, again, trying to woo her. Instead, his eyes landed on the interesting woman he has come to know. She wore that little cocktail dress from Kurama's school get-together; her hair was tied up in a similar clumsy bun. Yuumei smiled at him sweetly, a different smile than the one he often got from Yukina. It was as though, through that smile, Yuumei was conveying the same emotion that they, him and her, can share through a kiss.

Hiei looked away with a mix of shame and excitement. He couldn't deny to her, or to himself, that there was nothing between them. Which reminded him…

* * *

"Woman." That was the first word Hiei spoke to her since he found her standing on a cliff in the middle of nowhere. Yuumei smiled against her glass, happy that the short demon didn't question what happened yesterday.

She was reluctant to come to the party at all, but decided that it couldn't really hurt. Now, she mentally patted herself on the back for thinking of coming. Hiei was worth it.

* * *

Hiei turned and walked meaningfully past Kurama to the backyard, which was lit with cheap paper lamps, which gave off a dull yellow glow. Stalking to the tree, he gestured with a nod of his head for her to come around the tree, blocking them partially from the view of a certain lip-reading fox.

"I'm sure Kurama knows about us," Yuumei mentioned with a slight smile. Hiei glared at her, making Yuumei feel that something was wrong.

"That is not what I dragged you out here for."

"Oh? Then what is it?"

"Where are you going?"

Yuumei sighed and closed her eyes, "I can't tell you that."

Hiei bristled, "Why the hell not? I'd think that as your…" he frowned a bit, "I deserve to know."

"And what," Yuumei asked while leaning closer to him, "_are_ you?"

Hiei scowled, but did not turn his face away as her breath brushed against his face. He said nothing. Yuumei pecked him gently on the lips and straightened, not meeting his gaze. "I won't tell you."

"Why not?"

"I …want to be rid of you."

Hiei raised a brow, knowing very well that she was lying through her teeth. "Why do you insist on lying?"

Yuumei grinned and turned back to the house, "Find me, and I'll tell you."

On the way out the door, Yuumei stopped by Botan and handed her the demon compass. "Keep it," the ferry girl said, "you might need it in the future."

"Well," Yuumei said with a sad smile, "good-bye."

Yukina smiled back obliviously, "We'll see you around sometime." Yuumei's heart clenched, but she couldn't correct the ice maiden. She left.

* * *

It has been a month, Hiei realized vaguely, since Yuumei's party. He paused in his training to glance up as drops of water littered the ground. As he predicted, the storm is going to be rough. Sheathing his sword, he walked to the boulder and collected his coat; no one wanted to be caught in such a storm.

Silently, the shadow flitted between the branches to the quaint apartment block surrounded by lush pine trees. Third floor of the yellow building, fifth window from the right. First, he tried to push the window open, then, he started to pound on the glass.

"Goddammit," he heard a voice curse. The window opened violently and Yuumei stared at him almost as though she barely recognized him. "What are _you _doing here?"

"Rain." He slid into the apartment, finding himself at the end of a short hallway. He could see a light and the sound of running water coming from what he assumed was a bathroom, as well as an open door through which he recognized her dresser.

Yuumei wore a full-length nightgown, her hands still glistening with moisture. She frowned at him, although he could sense her spiking heartbeat, she had missed him. "I'm sure you don't melt," Yuumei was silenced by a stroke of lightning and a sudden increase in the flow of water outside. Sighing, she went back into the bathroom and grabbed a towel, "I swear you do this on purpose."

Hiei simply smirked, closing the window behind him. When Yuumei came back, she ran a hand through his hair, slickening some of his spikes. "I need a place to stay," Hiei said gruffly.

"Of course." Yummei's voice was deadpanned, as she waved him off down the hallway and headed to her own bedroom. Hiei flitted in front of her, striding into her room with a calm, "I want the bed."

Yuumei bit her cheek, "Then I'll take the couch." She turned to leave, but was caught by the elbow.

"You will stay with _me_," the words were almost whispered into her ear, making Yuumei grin before turning to drape her arms over Hiei's shoulders, leaning down slightly.

"I lied because-"

"You love me, I know."

* * *

...Such a crappy ending, but oh well.

Announcement time:

I am interested in maybe writing a sequel, something a little more emotional than action

If you have any suggestions or would like to chat with me about ideas, feel free to e-mail me, PM me, or IM me (servant_of_)

Hope you enjoyed it, I look forward to talking with whoever wants to talk.

-YSendo


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